Market News

Happy 1st Anniversary to the Market!

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The Birmingham Wholesale Market is the largest wholesale market in the UK, and one of the largest integrated wholesale markets in Europe. Set on an 18 acre site in Witton, the purpose built facility is minutes from the centre of Birmingham and employs over a 1000 members in a variety roles across a diverse set of businesses.

The Market offers a wide range of delicious fresh fruit & vegetables, seafood, meat, poultry and flowers from experienced traders across two halls measuring 216,500 square foot in size. Produce is sourced and imported from over 140 countries from around the world ensuring the produce offering is diverse and varied to suit local business and hospitality requirements. The high-quality produce is sold to restaurants, hotels, fast food outlets and retailers across the Midlands and Wales.

Since opening with over 48 traders on site, it is estimated that in the past year over 500,000 people have visited the Market and it welcomes on average 1,500 vehicles per day onto the site.
Originally opened on 8th May 2018 the Market is celebrating its one-year anniversary. During May and June 2019, we are celebrating the huge success of the market, the diverse product range and high-quality produce on offer with a variety and activities.

At the time of opening Cllr Ian Ward, leader of Birmingham City Council said: “The markets continue to play a major part in Birmingham life and this is the next exciting chapter in a story that goes back almost 900 years. This state-of-the-art facility brings the markets firmly into the 21st Century and I’d like to thank traders for working with Birmingham City Council on this project. I’m sure Birmingham’s historic Wholesale Markets and the many traders working there will now grow from strength to strength.”

Market Operations Manager to walk 3 peaks for charity

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Our Operations Manager Andrew Barnes is set to take on a sizeable challenge in walking the Yorkshire 3 Peaks in 12 hours for Motor Neurone Disease Association because his long time friend Phil Stephenson has MND.

More details on this can be found here: https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/teamstevo8yorkshire3peakschallenge

The Story

We are part of team Stevo8 who are raising vital funds for the Motor Neurone Disease Association by taking on the Yorkshire 3 Peaks Challenge on 16th March 2019.

This is an epic challenge climbing Pen-y-Ghent, Whernside and Ingleborough, it’s a gruelling 24 miles with a 5200ft ascent at its highest, it takes around 12 hours to complete.

Thank you to our walkers/climbers..

Leigh Burrow, Mark Schofield, Andy Stephenson, Trevor Bairstow, Mick Gillard, Chris Parr, Kate Parr, John Parkinson, Amy Parkinson, Marie Parkinson, Chris Parkinson, Joanne Rogers, Harvey Rogers, Daniel Richardson, Nicola Richardson, Eddie Harney, Lizzie Harney, Nadia Stewart, Tim Roberts, Claire Duffy, Paul Duffy, Graeme Rogers, Chris Parkinson-Maude, Diane Parkinson-Maude, Luka Pickford, Scott Pendlebury, Andrew Barnes, Lydia Barnes, Lisa Gardner, Rachel Harney and Karen Stephenson.

Our friend Phil Stephenson, was sadly diagnosed with the terminal Motor Neurones Disease in June 2017 at the age of 44.

We are at the 18 month point from diagnosis. Phil can no longer use his arms. His legs are affected and he is using a wheelchair, his voice is becoming laboured, with struggling to form some words and sounds.

MND will take everything from you, your body, arms, legs, voice. It will take the things we take for granted like being able to hold your head up, to swallow food and drink, to talk, to laugh. It will take your future, your plans for growing old, seeing your children grow up, becoming a grandparent.

MND is a cruel disease, currently there is no cure. Life expectancy from diagnosis is 2-5 years. One day with this vital fundraising there will be. Sadly Phil won’t be with us when the cure comes, it won’t happen in his lifetime but for us as TeamStevo8, when the cure does come.. We will know we contributed, we did all we could in honour of him.

Phil is father to our 3 children Jamie, Laura and Jack. He is a retired Rugby League player, spending much of his career at Keighley Cougars and Clayton ARLFC, during this time Phil gained many fans through his game ethic, always working hard, never giving in, no ego, positivity, always cheerful, this is how he is facing MND… despite the devastating news, Phil is living life to the full, moving forward, still giving to others, he has time for everyone and still cheerful, spreading laughter to everyone, he is one of life’s great people, much loved and respected by all who are lucky to know him.

Phil will tell you ‘if you can still laugh, it’s okay’ and what a laugh he has, all who know him, love his deep chuckle xx

TeamStevo8 is a group of amazing people (family and friends) inspired by Phil to raise funds for the MNDA, one day with this vital fundraising we will find a cure or treatment for this disease.

We have raised over £26,000 since Phils diagnosis in June 2017 for the MNDA and there is no stopping us.

We have done so many things to get to the 25K.. Recently 23 of us ran the Great North Run in September 2018. We’ve had Race Nights, Abba Nights, Raffles, School Nights, Fancy Dress Pub Crawls, Rugby Games, Cake Sales, Half Marathons (Phil ran Manchester in October 2017 after he was diagnosed…amazing), Head Shaves, Sponsorship for Motorbike events. We even had money donated from some of our wonderful friends Wedding, who had asked guests to donate instead of gifts.

Thank you everyone you’re amazing, you’re support and generosity is overwhelming.

We are going to help find the cure/treatment for MND one day.

School Children Tour Market

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Children from Hillstone School in Birmingham visiting the Birmingham Wholesale Market

The market welcomed nine pupils accompanied by four members of the teaching staff from Hillstone Primary School. They had a small presentation by Rob Nixon on the site history, the fact that Birmingham had its market dating back to 1166 and some facts about food.

The children then were taken on a tour of the market. The traders had been prewarned of a tour so a number were very pro-active and also there was no bad language heard throughout the morning!  The pupils were given fruit and had explanations about where certain products had come from and were able to discover fruit and vegetables they did not otherwise recognise.

Children from Hillstone School enjoying a fish demonstration by Caterfish in the Wholesale Market

 

They tasted fruit such as blood oranges and were each given fruit and a bunch of daffodils to take away. Caterfish demonstrated how fish are filleted and they were able to stand in the cold room at -25 degrees. They saw vegetables such as Yuccas, Dasheen and Taro alongside the varieties of tomatoes and fish with names such as yellow eye, doctor fish and parrot fish as well as getting to hold live lobsters.

They enjoyed their tour and were very interested by the environment and hopefully took away a further understanding about food.

Below is a video of the trip:

 

The history of the Barrowmen / Market Porters

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The iconic two-wheeled carts still seen at wholesale markets are market porters (alternatively known as Banksmen) barrows used to deliver produce from the market stand to the loading point of someone’s lorry / van.

A selection of Barrows from the Birmingham Wholesale Market
A selection of Barrows from the Birmingham Wholesale Market

Despite the increased use of Fork lift Trucks and powered carts they are still very much in use at Wholesale markets throughout the country and the Birmingham Wholesale market still has a number with many having been in use for over 100 years.

The reason they have not been easily replaced is simply down to the design perfected over decades that allows a heavy load to be moved with reasonable force due to the counterbalance of the barrows. The springs meant that stuff wouldn’t vibrate and fall off on the rough & cobbled streets of earlier years.

A seasoned porter can get circa 50 boxes of oranges on a single barrow if loaded correctly. It really is an art and dependent upon knowing the produce and type of container.
The aim once loaded is of course to pick it up and move without tipping it. If you manage to tip it up it still results in much comment and disparaging remarks from fellow porters.

At one time the porters would have to own a porter licence and would be paid by the customer per job, but today the porters are employed by companies within the market.

Roddy, Barrowman maintenance man ensures the Barrows are all up and running
Roddy, Barrowman maintenance man ensures the Barrows are all up and running

The Market welcomes the Lord Mayor of Birmingham

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The Lord Mayor of Birmingham with her Husband and Birmingham Wholesale Market management and traders
The Lord Mayor of Birmingham with her Husband and Birmingham Wholesale Market management and traders

The Birmingham Wholesale Market recently had a visit from the Lord Mayor of Birmingham. Yvonne Mosquito and her husband Winston enjoyed a full tour of the facility. During this time they met with a lot of tenants as well as the management team.

The Lord Mayor was very impressed with the new facility and thought it was a great triump for Birmingham as it will enable better and more efficient trade.

The Markets hosts NABMA

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NABMA the voice of markets meet at Birmingham Wholesale Market

 

The Birmingham Wholesale Market played host to the National Association of British Market Authorities last week.

Representatives from markets from across the UK were present for the members meeting which also included a tour of the Birmingham Wholesale Market.

It was great to welcome them and we hope to do so again soon!

Mayor of the West Midlands visits the Market

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Keith Simpson, Andy Street, Jason Wouhra and Rob Nixon at Birmingham Wholesale Market.
Keith Simpson, Andy Street, Jason Wouhra and Rob Nixon at Birmingham Wholesale Market.

The Birmingham Wholesale Market team were very pleased to show Andy Street, the Mayor of the West Midlands and former Managing Director of John Lewis around the Market on Tuesday.

Andy was very impressed with the facility and thought it added a tremendous amount of value to the city and surrounding areas.

Our team captured a selection of interviews with Andy, which will be uploaded very soon.