Business purpose (Geschäftszweig)

The Geschäftszweig (or „Gegenstand des Unternehmens”) is the corporate purpose recorded in the commercial register and articles of association. Example: „Trade in women's and men's clothing via the internet and related services.”

The wording may diverge from actual activity — usually it shows the original purpose supplemented by opening clauses („and related activities”, „and all related transactions”). At larger corporates often broadly framed.

For buyers, the Geschäftszweig is the legally binding reference for sector classification. It's the „official truth”, whereas the website often shows the current reality — divergences are normal and sometimes provide important signals (e.g. pivot from OEM to D2C).