Christmas business is yet to materialise at Hannover Wholesale Market this year. "Only from calendar week 50 onwards will things pick up a little. It has to be said that Christmas falls at a rather unfortunate time this year, which of course doesn't help us either. In general, we are expecting a somewhat quieter Christmas sales period this year than usual," says Yannick Hoffmann, junior manager of the company based at the local wholesale market.
Citrus fruits, especially clementines and oranges, traditionally attract a little more attention in the run-up to Christmas, while exotic fruits are less in demand. According to Hoffmann, this is also due to the continuing decline in purchasing power. "People are still paying more attention to their money, which is why they are most likely to do without slightly higher-priced items such as pineapples and mangoes. Peruvian flight mangoes in particular were extremely expensive at the beginning of the season, i.e. at the beginning of November, which was mainly due to the sharp increase in flight fees. This has since calmed down a little, but we still see insufficient demand compared to the rather abundant supply." Offering shipped goods is out of the question for quality reasons, he continues.
Yannick and Helge Hoffmann from the fruit wholesale business of the same name at the Hanover Wholesale Market.
When it comes to pineapples, Hoffmann mainly offers his customers Costa Rican shipped cargo of the Sweet Cayenne variety. He is currently observing a fairly moderate marketing situation. "These are beautifully coloured and partly pre-ripened goods that are particularly well received at the weekly markets. We stopped selling flown pineapples a few years ago for price reasons, because we market ship goods at around 3 EUR/piece, while flown goods, mainly from Ghana, are usually around 5-6 EUR/piece. You can taste the difference, but pineapples have become too much of a standard item for us to continue charging such prices, even for premium goods."
Hoffmann has also stopped selling the so-called crownless pineapple. "We offered pineapples without crowns for a while, but this item was not really accepted by our customers. It turned out that this item is also less suitable for fresh marketing due to its shorter shelf life. Accordingly, we now only market the whole fruit, mainly in the 7-piece assortment, although a 6-piece or 8-piece box is also offered from time to time."
Hoffmann's current range is characterised by shipped pineapples and flight mangoes.
Weekly market business declining, food retail delivery increasing
Since 2008, Fruchtimport Hoffmann GmbH has been based at the local wholesale market in Hanover. Its main customers include weekly market suppliers and owner-managed food retail outlets in the surrounding area. Deliveries are becoming more important, while traditional sales at the stand are on the decline. "The weekly market sector is becoming noticeably more compressed. Last year, another two or three market suppliers went out of business. Meanwhile, deliveries to independent food stores continue to grow. This trend will probably continue in the years to come," concludes Hoffmann.
For more information:
Yannick Hoffmann
Fruchtimport Hoffmann GmbH
Wholesale Market Hanover
Tel: +49 511 2613738
Fax: +49 511 2613740
e-mail: [email protected]
Website: https://fruchtimporthoffmann.de