Commerce : Germany

For decades the commercial sector in Germany has accounted for about ten percent of gross value added. Just under five million people - one eighth of the total work force - are now employed in approximately 620,000 commercial enterprises (wholesale and retail). Although there has been a marked tendency for companies to merge, most are still in the small or medium-sized category. About half of them employ only one or two persons, and nine tenths of them fewer than ten, usually including the owner and frequently his or her family members as well.