G 46
Wholesalers of food, beverages, building materials, steel, plumbing and electrical supplies, machinery and consumer goods, trade intermediaries and commercial agents, and import and export houses – for manufacturers looking for distribution partners, logistics providers, software and financing providers. Start with a clear inclusion and exclusion brief for German companies. Use industry, territory and required contact fields to describe a workable target group rather than requesting the largest possible list.
Our database (as of 21 October 2026): 7,111 businesses in this industry, 6,518 of them with a phone number.
Export of the whole industry: €409 (final price). Selections by federal state, district or your own filters are quoted on request.
Official statistics: 130,635 businesses in Germany according to Destatis, business register, GENESIS table 52111-0010 (reference year 2024, table updated 21 September 2026). Division 46 wholesale trade (except motor vehicles), including trade agents (46.1). This is the size of the market, not the size of our database.
| Item | Count | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Businesses in our database | 7,111 | 100 % |
| with phone number | 6,518 | 91.7 % |
| with email address | 3,034 | 42.7 % |
| with website | 5,412 | 76.1 % |
| Price for the whole industry | €409 | Final price |
Division 46 “Wholesale trade, except of motor vehicles and motorcycles” covers sales to retailers, trades, industry and commercial bulk users. Its groups follow the product group – from agricultural raw materials, food and household goods to machinery, building materials and raw materials.
Group 46.1 is not wholesale in the narrow sense: trade intermediaries sell in someone else’s name and for someone else’s account without owning the goods. They nevertheless belong to the division and therefore to this industry. Trade in motor vehicles and parts is classified under G 45 (Automotive and car services), sales to final consumers under G 47 (Retail and shops).
| WZ 2008 | Official title | For your selection |
|---|---|---|
| 46.1 | Wholesale on a fee or contract basis | commercial agents and brokers, subdivided by product group (46.11 to 46.19) |
| 46.2 | Wholesale of agricultural raw materials and live animals | grain, animal feed, seeds, flowers and plants, livestock |
| 46.3 | Wholesale of food, beverages and tobacco | food and beverage wholesalers, cash and carry |
| 46.4 | Wholesale of household goods | textiles, household goods, pharmaceutical goods, furniture, toys |
| 46.5 | Wholesale of information and communication equipment | computers, software, electronic components |
| 46.6 | Wholesale of other machinery, equipment and supplies | agricultural machinery, machine tools, office furniture, technical supplies |
| 46.7 | Other specialised wholesale | fuels, metals, wood and building materials, plumbing supplies, chemicals, waste and scrap |
| 46.90 | Non-specialised wholesale trade | broad range without a main product group |
Wholesale is an unregulated trade. Permits apply to some product groups, but they do not result in a general directory.
These 15 columns are included.
Targeting brief for Addresses of wholesalers and sales agents: For each relevant code (46.1, 46.2, 46.3, 46.4, 46.5, 46.6, 46.7, 46.90), decide which activity fits your offer and which neighbouring activities to exclude. Unavailable attributes are: detailed product range, brands and manufacturers represented; turnover, warehouse space and number of employees; delivery area and customer base; names of buyers and sales managers; membership of purchasing or trading groups. Do not treat these as filters already applied to the list. Transfer the boundaries explained below into the brief and flag the research your team still needs to do.
Many companies sell to retailers, tradespeople and end customers at the same time. In the statistics each appears in one place only – where the larger share of value added lies. A building materials dealer with a trade counter may therefore be classified under wholesale (46.73) or retail (47.52).
Manufacturers with their own sales operation remain manufacturers and are classified under manufacturing. If you are looking for distributors for a product, you should therefore ask for two positions: the wholesalers of the product group and the trade intermediaries of the same product group.
So far, our assignment to this industry mainly covers companies that can be clearly identified as wholesalers by their name or category. Many more are still in the overall database without an industry; we state the size of a selection by WZ classes in the offer.
We produce delicatessen sauces and are looking for wholesalers of food and catering supplies (46.3) and commercial agents for food (46.17) in Bavaria with a phone number. Cash and carry markets should be included. How large is the selection?
Use cases
Find wholesalers and commercial agents of a product group in a sales territory.
Approach traders with their own goods handling as customers for transport and storage.
Merchandise management, factoring and credit insurance for trading companies.
Compile sources of supply for a product group in your own region.
Questions
Yes, insofar as they appear as businesses in our sources: trade intermediation is part of division 46 (group 46.1). Individual agents often work without a website and without a commercial register entry and are therefore less well represented in any list than wholesale companies.
The official figure counts all businesses mainly engaged in wholesale. So far, our assignment covers businesses that can be clearly identified as wholesalers by name or category; others are still in the overall database without an industry. We confirm the size of a selection in the offer.
Yes, via the groups and classes of division 46, for example food (46.3), wood and building materials (46.73) or plumbing and heating supplies (46.74). Wholesalers with a broad range are classified under 46.90.
No. Selection helps document relevance, but does not establish demand, contact permission or response rates. Confirm which criteria can actually be applied and retain exclusions with the agreed brief.
130,635 businesses in Germany according to Destatis, business register, GENESIS table 52111-0010 (reference year 2024, table updated 21 September 2026). Division 46 wholesale trade (except motor vehicles), including trade agents (46.1). This is a figure from official statistics, not the size of our dataset.
7,111 businesses in our database (as of 21 October 2026), 6,518 of them with a phone number (91.7%), 3,034 with an email address and 5,412 with a website. Regional filters reduce the number; we confirm the size of your selection before you order.
Format, sources, price and marketing law (§ 7 UWG): questions about all industries.
