!!!gewerbliche Genossenschaften

Gewerbliche Genossenschaften, commercial co-operatives: Associations 
of self-employed persons in the trades and similar occupations 
designed to promote and develop commercial activity in this sector. 
The basic idea is self-help. Commercial co-operatives, founded by H. 
Schulze-Delitzsch (1808-1883) have been invaluable in securing the 
viability of small and medium-sized enterprises. Their foremost 
objective is not making profits but supporting their members by joint 
purchasing, sales, production, advertising and other services and by 
ensuring the availability of loans. The most popular form is that of 
commercial co-operatives with limited liability of their members. The 
legal basis is the Co-operatives Act of 1873 as amended in 1974.

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In 1999 the commercial co-operatives, with almost 6000 employees, 
founded on the system Schulze-Delitzsch recorded revenues of close to 
ATS 26 billion. Among the co-operatives most important members are the 
food retail chain  ADEG,  Austria Presse Agentur, the sporting goods 
retailer Intersport and Funkberater and Expert electrical appliances 
wholesale retailers. Commercial credit co-operatives are the  
Volksbanken. The auditing association of all co-operatives in Austria 
is the Austrian  Genossenschaftsverband (Schulze-Delitzsch).


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