"For us, the wholesale market is not just a location, but an ecosystem"

Founded in 1925, ARUS is now one of the oldest companies at Hamburg's local wholesale market. On October 18, the company's management invited numerous suppliers, customers, and other partners to the Port of Hamburg fishing port, with a direct view of the Cruise Center, the harbor, and near the fish market, to celebrate this milestone together. Over time, the family business has developed into a modern service provider with a steadily growing fleet, customer base, and range of services. Despite its growth, the company has always remained loyal to the wholesale market for several reasons, as managers Jörn and Marc Reimers explain in an interview.

ARUS (August Reimers und Söhne) was founded in 1925 by August Reimers, who laid the foundation for a family tradition that is still alive today. At the end of the 1990s, Jörn Reimers converted the company into a limited liability company (GmbH) – an important step towards professionalization. In 2017, Marc Reimers, already the fifth generation, joined the management team. Since then, father and son have been jointly managing the company's fortunes. Marc Reimers goes on to explain that a personal low point was the resignation of his grandfather, Klaus Reimers, who had to leave the business earlier than planned due to illness. "My father, Jörn, was still in his apprenticeship at the time and suddenly had to take on responsibility – for a year, he was suddenly in the middle of everyday business life until my grandfather returned. This period had a lasting impact on our family and the company."

© Hugo Huijbers | HortiDaily.com
Jörn Reimers (pictured here visiting the FreshPlaza.de wholesale store in 2022) is at the helm of the company together with his son Marc.

"One highlight was definitely the COVID-19 period. Even though this phase was negative for many, we saw a strong focus among customers on fresh, high-quality food, as is more common in other European countries. Since then, however, consumer behavior in Germany has tended to develop in the opposite direction," says Marc Reimers, looking back on the business development of recent years. "Inflation is currently a major burden. Energy prices, in particular, are a cost driver that hardly anyone was aware of in the past. Electricity and heating have always been costs, but they have never been as prominent as they are today – neither for consumers nor for businesses," he points out.

Being close, listening, accompanying
Since the turn of the century, both the customer base and the product range have been continuously expanded. "Today, we are much more broadly positioned than we were 20-30 years ago," says Reimers. Although the focus remains on supplying Hamburg and the metropolitan region, the company now also delivers to customers much further afield with its own trucks. "Another important step was the launch of our B2B web shop. Overall, we have become more digital and more structured. In general, sales have clearly changed: in the past, it was more of a seller's market, but today it is a buyer's market. Customers expect personal attention, service, and dedicated contact people. Internally, we call this 'betüteln'—being close, listening, and accompanying." This is also reflected in everyday business: "Whereas night business used to dominate, 'day business' with just-in-time deliveries is becoming increasingly important today."

The fruit industry remains very dynamic, explains the two-person management team. "During the pandemic, there was a greater focus on freshness and high-quality food. After COVID-19, consumer behavior has changed in that customers now place a great deal of value on quality, but at affordable prices. So it's no longer just about the cheapest but about the best value for money. Chains are also expanding their product ranges, which means that, as a medium-sized retailer, we have to offer added value in terms of quality, service, availability, and customer proximity. This is compounded by a deterioration in payment practices. Many companies were kept alive artificially during the pandemic. Today, the number of defaults is rising again, which is why we are also paying closer attention to our customers' solvency. Employees are also making new demands: work is no longer the sole purpose of life, but part of a work-life integration. As employers, we have to design work in such a way that it fits into people's lives and not the other way around."

At the marketing level, prices in many segments remained stable or even fell. Reimers: "One exception was the strawberry season: there were almost no classic low-price phases here, and the goods were consistently high-priced. In contrast, the asparagus season was extremely short – weather conditions limited or ended the market early. Overall, it is clear that quality has become more important to customers than price alone."

A place for smaller niche providers
ARUS GmbH is still based at the local wholesale market today. "For us, the wholesale market is not just a location but an ecosystem. It is the central hub for northern Germany – with direct proximity to importers, the port, and our customers," says Reimers, pointing out the advantages of the location. "Of course, traders are disappearing, whether for economic reasons or due to a lack of successors. At the same time, new suppliers are joining the market. The community at the wholesale market remains important. Yes, we are competitors, but we also need each other – and help each other in many situations. I would also like to highlight the Hamburg Traders' Cooperative, which acts as a mouthpiece for politics and administration. This cooperation strengthens the location." Nevertheless, Reimers assumes that there will be fewer but larger traders in the future. "But smaller niche suppliers also have their place. For us, this is an opportunity: we don't want to be the biggest, but the ones who best understand and serve customer needs."

All in all, the company sees itself well-equipped for the future. Marc Reimers: "We will continue to pursue digitalization consistently, from ERP conversions to AI-supported processes. At the same time, personal, reliable service will remain our trademark. I have two young sons. Of course, I would be delighted if one or both of them followed in my footsteps one day, provided they enjoy it. Because without passion for this job, it doesn't work. Maybe they will then write another chapter in the history of ARUS."

For more information:
Jörn & Marc Reimers
ARUS - August Reimers & Sohn GmbH
Hamburg wholesale market
Phone: +49 40 32 58 50-0
Mail: [email protected]
Web: www.arusgmbh.de