Trade (wholesale & retail) · Fribourg

3 612 companies in trade in the canton of Fribourg.

The commercial register lists 3 612 active companies in trade in the canton of Fribourg, placing Fribourg 12th nationally for this sector (3 % of the national total). 2 301 of them (64 %) are VAT-registered, and 983 (27 %) published an official change in the past 18 months: registration, amendment, change of officers, share capital or address.

3 612active companies
11registered in the past 30 days
2 301VAT-registered
12thcanton's Swiss rank
Free watch, 3 days

What moves in trade in the canton of Fribourg, 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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What moves in your canton, from tomorrow morning.
The canton in brief

Trade (wholesale & retail) in the canton of Fribourg: 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 15 % of companies classified in the canton of Fribourg, against 14 % across Switzerland. 11 companies in trade were registered in the canton of Fribourg over the past 30 days, 48 over 90 days.

Fribourg is a bilingual canton with a diversified economy: food and beverages (cheese, chocolate, brewing), industry and logistics along the A12, a university and higher-education institutions in the city, and a strong fabric of construction and crafts SMEs across the districts. Population growth feeds a steady flow of new registrations.

Market analysis

The market in trade in the canton of Fribourg, in figures

525companies registered in 2025 and 2026
CHF 1.2 bnof combined share capital (2 090 capital companies)
2 301VAT-registered
57are hiring right now (Job-Room postings)

Of these 3 612 companies, the dominant legal forms are: Sole proprietorship (37 %), Limited liability company (GmbH / Sàrl) (33 %), Public limited company (AG / SA) (24 %). 525 were entered in the commercial register in 2025 and 2026, that is 15 % of the active base; 296 registrations in 2025. That is well above the average of the three previous years (252 a year): the sector is attracting new entrants.

Share capital is known for 2 090 companies (58 %): CHF 1.2 bn combined, median company in the 20-100k band; 791 of them (38 %) have capital of at least CHF 100,000.

2 301 companies (64 %) are VAT-registered, a sign of real activity; 3 608 (100 %) have at least one registered director; 723 publish a general phone or email, 825 have a website verified by ciblr, and 57 run job postings on Job-Room.

SOGC publications in the last 90 days: 50 new registrations, 41 changes of directors, 2 capital changes, 33 relocations of seat, 21 other amendments, 16 liquidations or deletions.

Registrations by year

01002003004002020 : 28328320202021 : 31131120212022 : 23323320222023 : 25125120232024 : 27327320242025 : 29629620252026 : 2292292026
Companies still active, by year of first registration; 2026 year to date (light tint).

Legal forms

Sole proprietorship
1 34437 %
Limited liability company (GmbH / Sàrl)
1 20233 %
Public limited company (AG / SA)
84924 %
General partnership
1062,9 %
Coopérative
150,4 %
The most common legal forms in this sector.
By size

Small or large?

Micro companies
2 93781 %
Small companies
2206,1 %
Medium companies
41011 %
Large companies
451,2 %
ciblr size index, computed from registry signals (capital, legal form, age, VAT). n/a: no signal yet.
By city

Where are they?

Fribourg
44612 %
Bulle
2506,9 %
Murten
1193,3 %
Villars-sur-Glâne
962,7 %
Marly
952,6 %
Düdingen
942,6 %
Romont FR
882,4 %
Châtel-St-Denis
822,3 %
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 Fribourg?

3 612 companies in trade are registered with the commercial register as active in the canton of Fribourg, or 3 % of the 106 501 companies in the sector across Switzerland.

How many are VAT-registered?

2 301 of these companies (64 %) 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: a day ago. 872 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 Fribourg: 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 Fribourg