27. April 2020
Specialist in the European Union
At the beginning of March, the European trade association EuroCommerce presented its new wholesale report to the EU Commission in Brussels.
It includes the example of Krückemeyer GmbH, which has developed in recent years as a specialist for abrasives and adhesive tapes from a pure dealer to a technical processor in order to produce customer-specific application solutions.
EuroCommerce's report "Wholesale at the heart of the European economy" presents the main contribution of wholesalers to the functioning of the European economy. It describes the very different roles of wholesalers in a wide range of sectors and the challenges they face. It also identifies a number of priorities for policy action that can be used to address them.
Wholesale makes an important contribution to the European economy. Nearly 2 million companies are wholesalers, providing quality work to 11 million Europeans, accounting for 5% of total EU employment and generating a combined value added of €660 billion.
Wholesalers play an important role in the value chain, providing an important link between manufacturers and retailers and a wide range of business services. The wholesale sector is constantly changing and is taking up the challenges of digitisation, sustainability and developing employee skills. Wholesalers are predominantly SMEs and 91% are micro-enterprises with fewer than 10 employees. They need a policy framework at European level that minimises the regulatory burden and helps them to succeed.
Wholesalers connect industrial and professional customers and create a seamless service for retailers, public authorities, industry and other professionals and service providers. They are often at the heart of sophisticated data-driven industrial ecosystems, providing goods and value-added services to their business customers.
EuroCommerce President Régis Degelcke said
"Wholesale trade is often invisible to the general public, but plays an unsung and important role in the European economy. This is the report we are publishing today to explain and underline why wholesale is important for all of us. The lack of proper understanding can lead to legislation being drafted without noticing its impact on it and can hit wholesalers hard. We are now trying to improve this understanding and we are calling for measures to support the competitiveness and long-term sustainability of wholesalers. "
Jan Krückemeyer, Christian Verschueren (Director General EuroCommerce), Régis Degelcke (President EuroCommerce), Christel Delberghe (Director EuroCommerce), Géraldine Verbrugghe (SME adviser EuroCommerce) and Gregor Wolf (Vice-President EuroCommerce) are pleased with the presentation of "Wholesale - At the Centre of Europe's Economy" and the ceremonial handover to the Commission (from left to right).
EuroCommerce Wholesale Agenda 2020
EuroCommerce Wholesale Brochure