Wholesale change for city market
BIRMINGHAM’S sparkling new Wholesale Market has opened in Witton, bringing to an end more than a century of trading from the city centre.
Building work on the original Smithfield Market first began in 1881, before the most recent Wholesale Market opened on Pershore Street n 1973.
But in 2011 the city council announced plans to close it down with just four months’ notice.
However, after years of wrangling, the huge new £50 million market opened this week with a low-key event at The Hub in Witton. The mammoth shed is one of the biggest in the city at 250 metres long and 70m wide.
Most of the floorspace is devoted to fresh fruit and vegetables, but the top end closest to Villa Park is for meat, fish and poultry.
The existing Bull Ring Market, Market Hall and Rag Market will continue trading off Edgbaston Street but the old Wholesale Market will be completely demolished and redeveloped.
Birmingham Wholesale Fresh Produce Association chairman Mark Tate said companies like his own George Perry Ltd would have to work extra hard for the next six months to help the market to become truly established.
But he added: “Birmingham changing all over the place. is
“We’ve got HS2 coming, it’s going to bring a different sort of person into the city, make it a more vibrant city and the markets will continue to grow from there. People around the country have written off Birmingham over the years but I’ve had an unwavering faith. I think that Birmingham, now centralised, will get stronger and stronger.”
Based at The Hub, on Nobel Way, Witton, Birmingham Wholesale Market is open 3.30am to 11.30am Monday to Friday, and 3.30am to 9.30am on Saturday.
The main building has 78 units, all of which are the same size, but the numbers go up to 79 because there is no No.13. Including external buildings, there are 90 units on the site in total, and all but six have been let.
The 50-50 private and council partnership running the complex hopes the rest of the units will soon be snapped up.