CENTRAL MARKETS & FISHERY ORGANIZATION – CMFO SA

The Central Market of Athens is a well established Organization that caters the Hellenic needs for green groceries, fruit and meat since 1963.
The Market is strategically located in the western part of Athens, so that it can be easily accessed by the trucks using the national road network, as well as by those using the ferries connections to the Hellenic islands. It is estimated that about half of the population of the country is served by the 350 enterprises hosted in the market. Regular operations are conducted every day of the week, employing about 5.000 people and creating a total annual turnover of about 1 billion €.
The Central Markets & Fishery Organization (CMFO SA), a public company which runs the Market, offers a series of added value services, like security and waste handling. During the last 5 years, the company has invested more than 30.000.000 € in improving the infrastructure and the premises of the Market. 25 new, state-of-the-art facilities for meat trading have been created and operating in hygienic conditions, while supporting systems, like power substation, water drainage systems and water recycling plant facilitate the merchands’ everyday life.
Even though, like in most western countries, the wholesale market is overridden by other marketing channels, the CMFO manages to be one of the few Hellenic public interest companies to produce profits. In addition to these, it has recently moved to bold measures, like the reduction of every rent for 17%, in an attempt to help wholesalers diminish their costs aiming at the final decrease of fresh produce prices.
As recognition of this effort, the Organization has been recently given the authority of operating and administering the fish-wharves throughout Hellas. The Hellenic marine tradition is known since time immemorial, so the impact of fishery is easily understood in the food sector. There are 11 fish-wharves scattered all over Hellas and last year they produced economic activity worth 300 million €.
The Central Markets & Fishery Organization is now examining scenarios of expanding into fish wholesale by creating a fish market within its premises, while, at the same time, using its 50 year-old know-how is going to transform the fish-wharves into minor wholesale markets all over Hellas.
This 2-way expansion is going to turn CMFO into a modern food marketplace, catering the needs of the Hellenes citizens for reliable, cheep and healthy food. The potentials of the new scheme are vast and the future is very promising for the new strategic movements.
In a country tormented by recess and austerity, the Central Markets & Fishery Organization shows the way to real development, along with responsibility and assistance to the commercial world.