Trade (wholesale & retail) · Appenzell Ausserrhoden

733 companies in trade in the canton of Appenzell Ausserrhoden.

The commercial register lists 733 active companies in trade in the canton of Appenzell Ausserrhoden, placing Appenzell Ausserrhoden 21st nationally for this sector (<1 % of the national total). 508 of them (69 %) are VAT-registered, and 207 (28 %) published an official change in the past 18 months: registration, amendment, change of officers, share capital or address.

733active companies
2registered in the past 30 days
508VAT-registered
21stcanton's Swiss rank
Free watch, 3 days

What moves in trade in the canton of Appenzell Ausserrhoden, in your inbox from tomorrow morning.

The first email goes out within the minute, with the last 30 days of your perimeter: new registrations, changes of officers, moves, capital. Then two morning emails with only what has moved since, as soon as there is something new. No account, no password.

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Who you sell to
2
Where
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3
What size
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No password, no payment. A day without movement is a day without an email.
The canton in brief

Trade (wholesale & retail) in the canton of Appenzell Ausserrhoden: what the register shows.

Wholesale and retail trade bring together importers, distributors, garages and shops. New registrations and address changes signal the opening of outlets or warehouses, and therefore needs in logistics, payments, fit-out and insurance.

This sector accounts for 14 % of companies classified in the canton of Appenzell Ausserrhoden, against 14 % across Switzerland. 2 companies in trade were registered in the canton of Appenzell Ausserrhoden over the past 30 days, 8 over 90 days.

Appenzell Ausserrhoden lives off traditional textiles and mechanical engineering (Herisau), healthcare and clinics, tourism, and a multitude of small craft businesses. The canton is closely tied to St. Gallen, with which it shares its labour market.

Market analysis

The market in trade in the canton of Appenzell Ausserrhoden, in figures

66companies registered in 2025 and 2026
CHF 51 Mof combined share capital (497 capital companies)
508VAT-registered
6are hiring right now (Job-Room postings)

Of these 733 companies, the dominant legal forms are: Limited liability company (GmbH / Sàrl) (34 %), Public limited company (AG / SA) (33 %), Sole proprietorship (29 %). 66 were entered in the commercial register in 2025 and 2026, that is 9 % of the active base; 34 registrations in 2025. That is below the average of the three previous years (56 a year): the pace of registration is slowing.

Share capital is known for 497 companies (68 %): CHF 51 M combined, median company in the 20-100k band; 233 of them (47 %) have capital of at least CHF 100,000.

508 companies (69 %) are VAT-registered, a sign of real activity; 732 (100 %) have at least one registered director; 181 publish a general phone or email, 206 have a website verified by ciblr, and 6 run job postings on Job-Room.

SOGC publications in the last 90 days: 8 new registrations, 19 changes of directors, 12 relocations of seat, 22 other amendments, 3 liquidations or deletions.

Registrations by year

0204060802020 : 444420202021 : 787820212022 : 454520222023 : 585820232024 : 656520242025 : 343420252026 : 32322026
Companies still active, by year of first registration; 2026 year to date (light tint).

Legal forms

Limited liability company (GmbH / Sàrl)
25034 %
Public limited company (AG / SA)
24233 %
Sole proprietorship
21229 %
General partnership
152 %
Coopérative
30,4 %
The most common legal forms in this sector.
By size

Small or large?

Micro companies
50769 %
Small companies
395,3 %
Medium companies
17424 %
Large companies
131,8 %
ciblr size index, computed from registry signals (capital, legal form, age, VAT). n/a: no signal yet.
By city

Where are they?

Herisau
25735 %
Teufen AR
729,8 %
Heiden
405,5 %
Gais
344,6 %
Speicher
314,2 %
Niederteufen
283,8 %
Walzenhausen
283,8 %
Bühler
263,5 %
The 8 municipalities with the most companies in the sector.
Frequently asked questions

In brief.

How many companies in trade are active in the canton of Appenzell Ausserrhoden?

733 companies in trade are registered with the commercial register as active in the canton of Appenzell Ausserrhoden, or <1 % of the 106 545 companies in the sector across Switzerland.

How many are VAT-registered?

508 of these companies (69 %) are VAT-registered according to the UID register, which generally indicates turnover above CHF 100 000 and genuine activity.

How can I get their contact details?

ciblr gives you three days of watch on this target: the last 30 days of movements within the minute, then two morning emails with what has moved, as soon as there is something new. The subscription at CHF 299 per month gives access to the whole target, with contact details, Excel export and change tracking.

Method

Where do these figures come from?

Most recent SOGC publication captured for this canton: 2 days ago. 231 publications captured in the past 30 days. Company officers there are re-read directly in the cantonal commercial register.

Every company counted here is registered with the commercial register (Zefix) with the status "active". The sector is derived from the FSO's NOGA code, the size is estimated by ciblr from official publications (legal form, share capital, declared headcount, VAT registration), and "recent signal" means an SOGC publication (registration, amendment, change of officers, share capital or address) in the past 18 months. The figures are recalculated every week from the ciblr database. No data is purchased or invented.

These companies, with their contact details.

ciblr sends you three days of watch of companies in trade in the canton of Appenzell Ausserrhoden: the last 30 days within the minute, then two morning emails, as soon as the perimeter moves. For the whole target, the subscription is CHF 299 per month, no commitment.

Neighbouring cantons

What about next door?

The same figures for neighbouring cantons, useful for regional prospecting.

The same sector elsewhere
Other sectors in the canton of Appenzell Ausserrhoden