About Händlerbund
What is Händlerbund?
Händlerbund is one of the largest e-commerce associations in Europe. Founded in 2008 and headquartered in Leipzig, it helps online retailers succeed by providing legal certainty and practical support — its mission is to "unterstützen Unternehmen dabei, im E-Commerce erfolgreich zu sein" (help companies succeed in e-commerce). More than 92,000 online presences are members.
The association's services are organised into Legal & Trust, Business Development, Business Operations and Shared Services, and span legal texts and compliance solutions, legal assistance, shop reviews and trust-mark certification, alongside tools such as a free GDPR cookie banner and the HB Campus learning resources. Around these sit several ventures: the HB Marketplace retailer community, HB Legal Tech ("your lawyer in your pocket"), the Shopauskunft review platform and the OnlinehändlerNews trade publication. Through them, Händlerbund also represents its members politically across Europe.
Where will I work?
Händlerbund's main office is at Kohlgartenstraße 11–13 in Leipzig, Germany. The company runs a "Remote First" approach with a mobile-office policy and the option of workations, so employees largely work location-independently rather than being tied to a desk. Working time is trust-based (Vertrauensarbeitszeit) — staff arrange their hours flexibly around their tasks and their lives, with results valued over hours logged in the office.
What is the Händlerbund team like?
Around 210 people work at Händlerbund, who refer to themselves as "HB People" and place a strong, lived emphasis on collaboration "auf Augenhöhe" (as equals), transparent communication and mutual trust. Tenure is notably long: employee testimonials describe eight- and nine-year journeys from apprenticeship or entry roles into team-lead and Head-of positions, with skills "gezielt gefördert" (purposefully developed). The company is led by CEO Tim Arlt, with Andreas Arlt as Federal Chairman.
Work-Life Balance
In October 2024 Händlerbund introduced a four-day week at full salary, beginning as a one-year trial. As CEO Tim Arlt puts it: "Entscheidend ist nicht die Zeit im Büro, sondern das Ergebnis" (what matters is not time in the office but the result). The company reports strong early results — 89% of staff reported positive or very positive energy levels, 79% felt more productive, the share of very satisfied employees rose from 70% to 77%, and 62% reported markedly better work-life balance.
Perks and Benefits
- Four-day week at full pay (introduced October 2024)
- Remote-first working with a mobile-office policy and trust-based hours
- Workations — the option to work from abroad
- Childcare subsidy (Kinderbetreuungszuschuss)
- Support for retirement planning / company pension
- Leipzig job ticket and sports & fitness offerings, from a home gym to a fitness studio
- A culture of long-term development and internal progression