Love your local market– Erlebe Deinen Markt 2016
European campaign to promote markets takes off in Germany
Growing numbers of street markets celebrate what makes them special • International festival weeks organized by “Love your local market” • Europe’s biggest market happening • 150 markets in Germany to hold wide variety of special events • Launch on 9 May in Duisburg • Topic for 2016: “Markets: your healthy choice”

The international LYLM movement - “Love your local market” - launched in 2012 in England and continues to gather momentum. In 2016 over 3,000 markets in 17 countries in and beyond Europe are taking part in the celebrations, a thousand more than in 2015.

“The German campaign, whose slogan is ‘Erlebe Deinen Markt’ (Experience your market), is snowballing,” Uwe Kluge, chairman of the GFI board and managing director of Bremen Wholesale Market is pleased to report. “The première in 2015, when 60 markets in 12 regions took part, was such a success that this year 150 markets in 30 regions of Germany are joining in. Although it is only our second year, this catapults us into third place among the European participants, after England and France. And 50 more markets have already announced that they will take part in 2017.”

Uwe Kluge believes that the success of the campaign lies in the enormous amount of publicity generated. “The campaign delivers a positive message in the context of a powerful international and national network. Our platform supports market suppliers and operators at all levels, giving them fresh confidence and renewed pride. Despite the many challenges that market traders face, the festival weeks focus on fun, enjoyment, the market experience and meaningful personal interaction.”

The celebrations will be concentrated in May and June 2016. The European launch of “Love your local market” is on 1st May in Paris and the German “Erlebe Deinen Markt” campaign starts in Duisburg on Europe Day, 9 May. Consumers may look forward to many colourful programmes and informative events at their local market.

The global LYLM topic is “Markets - your healthy choice” and the German campaign has adapted the slogan into German as “Wochenmärkte: eine gesunde Entscheidung.” “This enables us to spotlight how very important buying food at the local market is in terms of the economy and from the social and cultural point of view. And there are plenty of arguments in favour of the health benefits of the street market for the inhabitants of the region,” says Uwe Kluge.

The number of people sponsoring the campaign is growing too. Supporters include associations, producers and service providers. As reliable partners to the itinerant trade, they thus make a valuable contribution to market development.

About “Love your local market” and “Erlebe Deinen Markt”
“Love your local market” was started in 2012 by the National Association of British Market Authorities (NABMA). In 2016 more than 3,000 markets in 17 countries in and beyond Europe are taking part in the celebrations. This makes “Love your local market” the biggest event for European markets.

The World Union of Wholesale Markets, WUWM, in The Hague initiated the international movement. German activities are coordinated by the GFI Association of German Fresh Food Markets in Berlin.

For further information:
[»] www.erlebedeinenmarkt.org
[»] www.facebook.com/erlebedeinenmarkt
[»] www.loveyourlocalmarket.org
[»] PDF-Download

Contact for the media
Frank Willhausen
Telephone: +49 (0)178 4256738
[»] frank.willhausen@frischemaerkte.org

GFI German Fresh Food Markets e.V. – Gemeinschaft zur Förderung der Interessen der Deutschen Frischemärkte e.V.
Board member Uwe Kluge
c/o Großmarkt Bremen GmbH
Am Waller Freihafen 1
28217 Bremen
Telephone +49 421 53682-0
Fax +49 421 53682-20
[»] uwe.kluge@frischemaerkte.org
[»] www.frischemaerkte.org