Next year, the wholesale market will move from the north of Düsseldorf to the Siemensstraße in Hilden, just outside the city. The logistics are supposed to be better there. But Wilhelm Andree, who celebrated his 89th birthday at the weekend, is not moving. "We won't go along with it," Andree told the NRZ. In Hilden, you have to sign ten-year contracts, "at 22,000 euros per month in rent, plus a one-time deposit of 67,000 euros. That's not going to work." He is looking for a new place to do business with his son Willi Andree Jr.: "It can also be a small, detached hall that has everything, including a large cold storage room." However, they haven't found anything yet.
Wilhelm Andree during FreshPlaza.de's last wholesale market visit in winter 2023.
Since childhood, Andree's life has consisted of work, work, work. But his days at the wholesale market are numbered. "Demolishing this place is a sin, a disaster!" says Andree. The entrepreneur from Düsseldorf is not the only one facing an uncertain future. His long-standing loyal employees Keman and Murat are also unsettled. "What's happening here isn't good, a lot of jobs are also going to be lost here," says Murat, taking a drag on his cigarette. His boss once said in an interview that he would only leave the wholesale market as a corpse. Today Andree says: "I want to continue living, at least a little."
For more information:
https://www.andree-gemuese.de/