Trade (wholesale & retail) · Nidwalden

687 companies in trade in the canton of Nidwalden.

The commercial register lists 687 active companies in trade in the canton of Nidwalden, placing Nidwalden 22nd nationally for this sector (<1 % of the national total). 485 of them (71 %) are VAT-registered, and 204 (30 %) published an official change in the past 18 months: registration, amendment, change of officers, share capital or address.

687active companies
4registered in the past 30 days
485VAT-registered
22ndcanton's Swiss rank
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What moves in trade in the canton of Nidwalden, 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 Nidwalden: 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 13 % of companies classified in the canton of Nidwalden, against 14 % across Switzerland. 4 companies in trade were registered in the canton of Nidwalden over the past 30 days, 6 over 90 days.

Nidwalden lives off aerospace and mechanical engineering (Stans and its region), tourism on Lake Lucerne, and a tax regime that attracts holdings and service companies. The fabric is heavily concentrated around Stans, Stansstad and Hergiswil.

Market analysis

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

68companies registered in 2025 and 2026
CHF 55 Mof combined share capital (522 capital companies)
485VAT-registered
7are hiring right now (Job-Room postings)

Of these 687 companies, the dominant legal forms are: Public limited company (AG / SA) (40 %), Limited liability company (GmbH / Sàrl) (36 %), Sole proprietorship (21 %). 68 were entered in the commercial register in 2025 and 2026, that is 10 % of the active base; 41 registrations in 2025. That is in line with the average of the three previous years (48 a year): a steady pace of registration.

Share capital is known for 522 companies (76 %): CHF 55 M combined, median company in the 20-100k band; 261 of them (50 %) have capital of at least CHF 100,000.

485 companies (71 %) are VAT-registered, a sign of real activity; 687 (100 %) have at least one registered director; 151 publish a general phone or email, 159 have a website verified by ciblr, and 7 run job postings on Job-Room.

SOGC publications in the last 90 days: 6 new registrations, 15 changes of directors, 10 relocations of seat, 12 other amendments.

Registrations by year

0204060802020 : 676720202021 : 515120212022 : 464620222023 : 484820232024 : 505020242025 : 414120252026 : 27272026
Companies still active, by year of first registration; 2026 year to date (light tint).

Legal forms

Public limited company (AG / SA)
27240 %
Limited liability company (GmbH / Sàrl)
24436 %
Sole proprietorship
14521 %
General partnership
71 %
Branch of a foreign company
60,9 %
The most common legal forms in this sector.
By size

Small or large?

Micro companies
57784 %
Small companies
629 %
Medium companies
405,8 %
Large companies
81,2 %
ciblr size index, computed from registry signals (capital, legal form, age, VAT). n/a: no signal yet.
By city

Where are they?

Stans
16524 %
Hergiswil NW
15523 %
Stansstad
618,9 %
Buochs
618,9 %
Ennetbürgen
507,3 %
Beckenried
395,7 %
Dallenwil
314,5 %
Ennetmoos
253,6 %
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 Nidwalden?

687 companies in trade are registered with the commercial register as active in the canton of Nidwalden, or <1 % of the 106 501 companies in the sector across Switzerland.

How many are VAT-registered?

485 of these companies (71 %) 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. 184 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 Nidwalden: 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 Nidwalden