Biggest Markets in The World: The world is a large place and some of the basic human mechanism for survival, interpersonal relationships hinges on commercial transactions. Amongst all other things, the commercial activities engaged by individuals and corporate bodies are for profit in exchange for valuable services or goods. This exposes the concept of a market place.
A market is an organized structure set out in a particular area and designated as a place where people could go and buy variety of goods from vendors. While a market is a universal concept, some are relatively small and remote while others are built to be very large and accommodating. This is our focus. We want to take a look at some of the biggest markets in the world.
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Top 12 Largest/Biggest Markets in The World
1. TSUKIJI FISH MARKET: The Tsukiji fish market is one of the biggest markets in the world that has been in existence for many years. The market used to be a native market to the residence but continued to grow very fast and with the quality of goods and services rendered, it soon began to attract foreigners from all over the country and the world. The Tsukiji fish market is situated in the ultra modern city of Tokyo in Japan. It is one of the markets where both locals and foreigners love to visit.
This has made the market one of the biggest tourist attractions in the country. Some of the super quality services found in the market includes retail services of many local And foreign goods, distribution chains and stores, departmental stores, food markets , restaurants and many others. It is not entirely incorrect to refer to the Tsukiji fish market as one of the biggest market where the largest seafood goods are sold in the world.
2. CHATUCHAK WEEKEND MARKET: Another prominent market notable for being one of the biggest markets in the world is the Chatuchak Weekend Market. The market has been considered as the largest market in Thailand and situated in Bangkok.
A visit to the market reveals the gigantic architectural decision with an array of shops totalling over 14, 000. There are vendors of different merchandise sectionalised into 27. It may seem like a regular market but receives over 200 thousand people almost every weekend who come around to purchase things like antiques, books, consumer electronics and many others.
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3. ST. LAWRENCE MARKET: In the heart of Ontario, Canada is one of the world’s largest markets in the world; the St. Lawrence Market. It is one of the largest public building and market although it has undergone some refurbishment in the past, the south building was constructed and partitioned into the north corner, the south and the North market on the south side.
It is quite large and one of the oldest public markets in the world by market size. A lot of household items could be purchased at the market and other things like consumer electronics.
4. FERRY PLAZA FARMERS MARKET: The Ferry Plaza Farmers Market is a major market based in California and we’ll recognized. The farmers market is operated and managed by Foodwise. The market is known to operate trice weekly.
The market is one of the best when it comes to farm produce, organic and inorganic products which are sold in small, medium, and large quantities to customers within and outside the vicinity. It is quite impressive how the market is open to even foreigners from outside the country. At the market, there are lots of shops that are maintained as restaurants and other foods like seafood of different types.
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5. MERCADO DE LA BOQUERIA: In Spain is the La Boqueria, it is one of the biggest public markets in the world. It is situated in the heart of Barcelona, Spain. The market has been operational for quite a while and has been one of the most adored public place in the city capital. It is a place where you could be sure of getting almost anything you need.
For over a decade, it has been , a major tourist attraction for both the locals and foreigners who come from all over the world. The market structure is well designed and partitioned for easy accessibility and for ease of doing business. There are so many vendors in the market selling a variety of household items, industrial wares and consumer electronics.
6. QUEEN VICTORIA MARKET: The Queen Victoria Market or the Vic market, as it is often referred to, is one of the biggest markets in the word. The market is located in Melbourne which is one of the capital cities in Australia. It is one of the places where you’re sure of getting the things you need at an affordable price and of high quality.
It has been a major site of attraction in the most recent time following the fact that it is one of the biggest open air markets in the world. It is different because, in the Southern part of the world, the Vic market remains the largest open market within the region and has been in existence since 1878. The number of visitors to the market is over ten million yearly.
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7. GRAND BAZAAR: The Grand Bazaar market is a major market in Turkey. It is one of the famous places for purchase of electronics, farm produce, chemical products And other kind of consumer goods. Grand Bazaar is in the heart of Istanbul and is renowned for being one of the oldest public markets in the world that is also covered.
The market is known to contain about 60 thousand covered streets within the premises and over 4 thousand decorated shops. It is a well known market in the country with great reputation overseas making it one of the famoust tourist attractions for the 400 thousand people that often visit the market on a yearly basis. Because it has a history and has been for ages, it is considered one of the biggest and foremost shopping malls in the world and the most visited (based on the 2014 report).
8. PIKE PLACE MARKET: Pike Place Market is a big public market located in Seattle, Washington, United States of America which had opened in1907, specifically, August 17. Since it’s construction, the market has continued to flourish and grow to become one of the most visited farmers market in the country.
It is one of the oldest in the country and continues to be operation. The market harbors business people from almost all works of life who leverage on the market to showcase and sell their goods. It’s game has gone across the country and has attracted an annual visitors of over 10 million who come from all over the world to do their shopping.
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9. BOROUGH MARKET: In the heart of the United Kingdom is the Borough Market which is a wholesale and retail market. The market is strategically situated in Southwark, London, England and one of the foremost markets in the country. Aside from being one of the largest food markets in the nation’s capital, it is also the oldest in London.
It is known to have been established in 1850 as a special market for varieties of products sold in retail and wholesale, it is currently revered for being a place you cod get special kind of food.
10. SHILIN NIGHT MARKET: The Shilin Night Market is another most revered markets in the world with a reputation for being one of the oldest and biggest markets in the world. It is located in Taiwan and is a public market where all and sundry visit to do their shopping.
It attracts both local and foreign customers who travel from all part of Asia and beyond to buy goods from the vendors who has reputation for selling some of the finest wares. It is the famous and largest night markets in the country where food food and non-food items are being sold. It is so big, it has over 500 shops and a sparse car lot that is cape of accommodating over 400 cars.
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11. Yiwu Market: This is a Futian District market in China. It is among the stores in Chinese department. So, if you think Chinese department stores are huge, wait until you see Yiwu market. Today, it is the largest wholesale market all over the world, with 5.5 million square meters of space that spans 7 kilometers. Again, most of the products of all the world’s Chinese bazaars in wholesale (such as: gifts, toys, watches, clothing, decorative items, accessories, and electronics among others) come out of Yiwu market. As a large market, you would need several days to go through it all.
So, almost all the products that will go to Chinese bazaars in wholesale around the world come from this market. As at 2023, it is among the biggest markets all over the world.
12. Merkato Market: This market is located at Addis Ketema district of Addis Ababa (the capital city of Ethiopia). It is also known as “Addis Merkato“. Merkato is the largest open-air market in Africa. It specializes in locally grown agricultural products such as: coffee, spices and root vegetables.
However, the origin of merkato market dates back to the time in which Italy colonized Ethiopia (that is, between 1936 and 1947). That is why its name comes from the word “mercato” ( it is an Italian word that means “market”). Today, merkato market occupies an entire neighborhood of about 15 hectares. So, it is among the biggest markets all over the world.
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In conclusion, markets are of different categories even though they all share a common phenomenon which is, it is usually a place where you find organized structures for vendors who display lots of goods for the customers or consumers to buy. Some of these markets mentioned are quite unique and most especially large.
Edeh Samuel Chukwuemeka, ACMC, is a lawyer and a certified mediator/conciliator in Nigeria. He is also a developer with knowledge in various programming languages. Samuel is determined to leverage his skills in technology, SEO, and legal practice to revolutionize the legal profession worldwide by creating web and mobile applications that simplify legal research. Sam is also passionate about educating and providing valuable information to people.