Handelsverband Austria

Association of Austrian trading companies

The trade association - spokesman and partner of the trade - has been active since 1921 as an independent interest group and innovation platform in order to support its around 4,000 members in the best possible way in the environment of changing market challenges. In addition to the members, who in Austria achieve an annual turnover of more than 65 billion euros with around 300,000 employees at 25,000 locations and together cover around 80% of the market , numerous companies with various specializations are associated with the trade association as partners .

The association's portfolio includes four innovative industry congresses , the discussion format [handels]zone , the networking breakfast Good Morning Retail , the retail magazine, the multimedia platform retail.at , the publication of studies and the trade association academy . Specialist department meetings impart know-how and offer members the opportunity to exchange information in a structured manner. The online platform  KMU RETAIL offers all Austrian trading companies know-how, trading data and legal certainty. The open platform "Artificial Intelligence for Retail" (AI4R) supports domestic retailers and tech providers in the planning and implementation of complex AI and robotics applications.

The Import Information Hub Austria of the trade association is the Austrian forum for domestic importers and international exporters. With the Trustmark Austria seal of quality , the trade association sets standards and promotes quality awareness and consumer confidence in online trading.

The trade association networks far beyond its national borders, among other things through cooperation and memberships in international organizations such as eCommerce Europe, the Federation of International Retail Associations (FIRA), the Confederation of International Trading Houses Associations (CITHA), the World Federation of Direct Selling Associations (WFDSA) and Direct Selling Europe (DSE) .