Enjoying a German Christmas market - in Britain

Dec 24, 2009, 10:28 GMT

London - Christmas markets with a German theme continue to be all the rage in Britain where shoppers munch on bratwurst rather than fish & chips and drink mulled wine and Koelsch instead of tea and ale.

London, Birmingham, Manchester, Edinburgh and Nottingham are among a long list of British cities which have 'German Markets' while more and more places are planning to follow suit.

London alone will have at least five markets with a German theme this festive season with German retailers also present in the rows of wooden stalls, selling seasonal products such as Gluhwein (mulled wine) and roasted almonds.

One such person is Jerome Harder, who is originally from Hamburg but now sells German sweets and nuts in the Winter Wonderland market in Hyde Park.

This is the third year in succession that the 20-year-old and his family have taken the ferry to set up their stall in London rather than northern Germany.

'The Christmas markets in Germany are well stocked and we wanted to do something different and access new markets,' explains Harder.

He admits that profits have taken a hit this year because of sterling's weakness against the euro but sales of roasted almonds, cashew nuts and glazed chocolate-covered fruits remain strong.

'Christmas markets are still a novelty for the British. Our clients are purchasing a piece of German Christmas culture, something that is famous throughout the world,' says Harder. 'Of course, our German customers, who still make up 20 per cent of our business, like to buy a piece of home from us.'

The Cologne Christmas market opposite Big Ben and near the London Eye also promises a typically German atmosphere.

The market is taking place here for the second year running, according to Cologne's tourism bureau, but it's the first time that Timo Klein has made the trip from Hamburg to sell confectionary.

'Candied nuts sell particularly well,' says the 26-year-old. 'The majority of our customers are tourists and they are most interested in the whole German tradition, which they associate with our products.'

Birmingham, meanwhile, has for several years had a seasonal Frankfurt market, which has the reputation for being the largest German market outside of the Federal Republic.

'We expect to break the 3-million mark this year in Birmingham,' says Kurt Stroscher, Frankfurt's representative for the Christmas markets in Birmingham, Manchester, Nottingham, Leeds and Northampton. 'Mulled wine does well but German beer is what sells best in England.'

Janina Steinkrueger of Frankfurt Tourism expects a turnover of 70 million euros (100 million dollars) this year, with real snow even a possibility instead of the usual artificial variety.

Also, while Christmas markets aren't immune from the global economic crisis, sales seem to be holding up well.

'Business seems to be better here than in Germany where there is saturation in the Christmas market sector,' says bratwurst seller Heike Empelmann.