A number of traders express discontent with the significant increase in rent at the Riga Central Market, reports Latvijas Avīze, writes LETA.
The rent increase in some areas of the market, such as the gastronomy pavilion, reaches 79%, the publication indicates. In other pavilions, the increase is less significant. Meanwhile, a gardener from the Bauska region, Vladimir Fisher, stated that farmers have not yet received a recalculation, and he heard that "agricultural producers are promised to be spared."
Several tenants have united in protest, preparing a collective letter to the Riga City Council and the management of the Central Market in hopes of revising the situation and starting a dialogue. However, no response or reaction from the responsible parties has been received so far.
The market management company, LLC Rīgas nami, explains the new price list by general inflation and investments in market development. "The rent at the Riga Central Market has not changed for several years, while inflation and, consequently, maintenance costs are rising annually," explained Rīgas nami representative Janis Bunte. According to him, for the majority—about 80% of the tenants at the Central Market—the rent increase is moderate and does not exceed 10% compared to previous years, while for some tenants, it has not changed at all.
The most significant changes have affected the rent for warehouse spaces in certain pavilions. This is due to the introduction of a unified pricing policy across all pavilions, which in some cases has led to a sharp increase. For example, the rent for warehouse spaces in the Meat Pavilion is increasing from €9.40/m² to €11.85/m² (+26.1%), and in the gastronomy pavilion—from €9.40/m² to €14.07/m² (+49.7%).
Since November 2022, four municipal capital companies in Riga—Rīgas nami, Rīgas pilsētbūvnieks, Rīgas Centrāltirgus, and Rīgas serviss—have been merged under the name Rīgas nami. In 2024, Rīgas nami operated with a turnover of €27.5 million and losses of €178,650.
