Valkers: Riga Central Market should focus first on its trading function

Trade should remain the primary function of Riga Central Market, said Valkers during a discussion on the market's future. The discussion aims to assess the market's current role and prospects within the wider development of central Riga. The market is managed and operated by the municipal company SIA Rīgas nami.

Valkers cited survey data showing that 94% of respondents visit the market to buy fresh produce, and more than half go there once a week. In his view, this shows that the main purpose of visits is buying food.

What bothers visitors

Valkers noted that planning should take into account the factors that put visitors off. According to the survey, these include a lack of parking, the sense of safety and comfort in and around the market, the inability to communicate in the state language, and insufficiently clear price tags.

Directions for development

One key direction is preserving the tradition of selling fresh produce by widening the range and encouraging local producers to enter the market. Additional functions to be considered include promoting gastronomy and catering, and bringing in art, culture, sport, education, science and innovation to attract new streams of customers. A third direction could be developing outdoor space.

Investment

Valkers said that over three years the company has invested 4.5 million euros in the market, mostly in renovating the root vegetable pavilion. Agra Melne, a board member of Rīgas nami, said the company plans to invest 22.5 million euros, mainly in restoring the fish pavilion.

In October, Riga City Council backed a plan allowing Rīgas nami to borrow more than 22 million euros and extended the market management and operation contract to 24 April 2067 so the company could take loans. The company was also given specific obligations on investment, infrastructure, restoration of historic buildings and new projects.

Rīgas nami's turnover in 2025 was 28.42 million euros, 3.3% more than a year earlier, and its profit was 94,000 euros.