Rami Food Wholesalers Bazaar shopkeepers, which have been operating next to the Rami Barracks for 36 years, are moving to the Istanbul Food Wholesalers Bazaar built in Basaksehir.
Food Wholesalers Bazaar shopkeepers, who have been operating in Rami for 36 years, are eagerly awaiting the opening of the modern bazaar built in Basaksehir on 30 August.
In the new bazaar with an area of 322 thousand square meters in Basaksehir, a modern site consisting of 1138 independent shops, a public warehouse of 5,770 square meters, 2 restaurants of 480 square meters, 8 bank blocks, a parking lot for approximately 2,600 vehicles, a mosque for 1200 people, a trade block, service shops and an administrative building is being established.
Tradesmen, who started trading in Rami in 1985, are moving to the Istanbul Food Wholesalers Bazaar, which was built in Sahintepe Mahallesi with the initiative of the Istanbul Food Wholesale Traders Association (IGTOD).
“All the properties in the bazaar are owned”
Speaking to Anadolu Agency (AA), IGTOD President Mustafa Karli said that the construction of the Istanbul Food Wholesalers Bazaar has been completed and that some of the shopkeepers are renovating their shops.
Expressing that the bazaar was built on 322 acres, Karli said, “We have almost nowhere to go. We have a few problems with the ring roads. We talked to the authorities about it, and they will finish it by August 20 at the latest.”
Stating that when the mosque’s construction is completed in the bazaar, it will be handed over to the mufti, Karli said, “Our trade blocks are also finished. We do not have any unfinished places. The finishing touches are being made on our bank block. We have 8 bank blocks. All the properties in the bazaar are owned, there is no empty property.”
Emphasizing that the electricity meters were installed and the subscription process was completed, Karli said:
“There is employment for 100 people in the bazaar. We have security around 60 people. We received security as of July 15. We have friends to work in our financial and administrative building. There are technical, repair and maintenance personnel. These number about 40 people. The settlement of this place has been taken, all the keys have been handed over. We don’t have any problems.”
“We will be moving to Istanbul Food Wholesalers Bazaar on August 30”
Karli stated that at the beginning of June, an official letter was received from the Istanbul Governorship Provincial Directorate of Culture for the evacuation of the Rami Food Wholesalers Market.
Expressing that the Rami Food Wholesale Bazaar will be emptied by the Provincial Directorate of Culture on August 30, Karli continued as follows:
“We also notified all our members with a cover letter. Eyup Municipality also received a letter of eviction. Eyup Municipality visited the shopkeepers one by one and notified everyone of the eviction notice. We will be moving to the Istanbul Food Wholesalers Bazaar on 30 August. In 1985 we came to Rami temporarily for 2 years. We have been living there in primitive conditions for 36 years, we have had problems. 80% of Rami has no infrastructure.”
Emphasizing that Istanbul Food Wholesalers Bazaar has no precedent in Turkey, Karli said, “Mega Center and Rami Kuru Food Market are a whole. Therefore, those who have a shop in Mega Center also have a shop in Rami. If he is working there now, he has rented it out. This is where the tenancy thing comes from. Therefore, all our tradesmen will move here. Such an environment does not exist in Mega Center, Rami or anywhere else.”
Explaining that there is room for everyone in Istanbul Food Wholesalers Bazaar, Karli said that they will help the tenants in Rami to find a place in the bazaar.
“I believe that Kanal Istanbul will add a lot of value to food producers”
Stating that Istanbul Food Wholesalers Bazaar is adjacent to Kanal Istanbul, Karli said, “Our President held the groundbreaking ceremony of the first viaduct, which is 300 meters away from us (Kanal Istanbul). Most of our pulses shipments come from Mersin. We demand that something like a port be built here in order to reduce traffic circulation both between cities and between provinces. I believe that Kanal Istanbul will add a lot of value to food producers. We look forward to Kanal Istanbul.”
- “We are in a different location, we are close to the Trakya region, we will have new customers”
Tradesman Ilker Kaynak, on the other hand, said that the infrastructure of the bazaar in Basaksehir is ready and the dimensions of the shops are larger than their places in Rami.
Stating that they worked in limited areas in their previous places, Kaynak said, “I am one of the first to come. I made my preparations, I moved my office. As of August 30, we will have closed Rami, and we will start our trade in our new place.”
The source stated that the customers who have preferred them for years will come to the new bazaar and concluded his words as follows:
“Distance is important for our customers, as their income passes daily. They can evaluate different alternatives. Our permanent customers will come to us. We are in a different location, we are close to the Trakya region, we will have new customers. This place has a large population, there are many districts around us, we will have new customers, we will open up to new markets.
Source: AA / Translated by Irem Yildiz