The Handelsorganisation (“Trading Organisation”, or HO) was a national retail business owned by the central administration of the Soviet Zone of occupation in Germany and from 1949 on by the state of the German Democratic Republic.

[citation needed] Its stores stood in competition to those of the Konsum cooperative.

Nevertheless, both were established brands in the everyday life in the GDR.

After the political turmoil in the GDR in the years 1989 and 1990 the business was sold by the Treuhand trust.

This German corporation or company article is a stub.