For almost three decades, the Bidi family has been a presence at the Düsseldorf wholesale market. What once began with a modest wholesale market stall for central purchasing of the company's own needs in its four retail stores has developed into a recognized group of companies. "Today, we still have a retail and wholesale division that are closely linked and, despite several expansions of space, we are once again reaching our capacity limits at the location in the Düsseldorf Fresh Produce Center," says Yusuf Bidi, junior manager and future managing director of the company.
Direct imports from the well-known cultivation countries Spain, Italy as well as Turkey, form the core competence of Bidi Früchte Ltd. "From Spain we import mainly fruit vegetables and citrus, from Turkey, pointed peppers and pomegranates are purchased, among other things. Spanish herbs are also a high-turnover item outside the domestic season," says Bidi, who mainly serves weekly market traders and Turkish supermarkets.
Yusuf Bidi during a wholesale market visit on Jan. 12, 2023.
The Düsseldorf-based trading empire is also currently facing price and cost increases as well as declining purchasing power. "Despite everything, we are trying to squeeze out the maximum potential and are focusing on supplying our existing customers. Logistics in particular are causing us extreme problems at the moment, although the availability of goods is generally not a problem at all. Direct imports are an important competitive advantage in these challenging times," says the young wholesaler.
Product range expansion and digitization
The growing company's clientele currently has access to around 360 items. "We are aiming to expand this product range to 500 items in the next two years, as product diversity is a unique selling point for us full-range retailers in particular." The customer structure is also to undergo a fundamental change in the future, Bidi further said. "In the future, we want to focus more on wholesalers instead of resellers. However, the latter customer group is still particularly important to us. What helps is that my father sees the market as a reseller, having once started out as a specialty retailer himself. Digitization is also important these days, which is why we have created a modern ordering portal for our customers."
The impending closure of the local Düsseldorf wholesale market is also a recurring topic of conversation at Bidi Früchte GmbH. "We see ourselves as a modern trading company equipped for the future and want to pass on a healthy company to the next generation. This means that we are currently open to every single solution, although the redevelopment of the current location would be desirable."
For more information:
Yusuf Bidi
Bidi Früchte GmbH
Großmarkt Düsseldorf
Tel.: 0211 422 8236
Cell: 0176 221 45198
[email protected]
www.bidigmbh.com