Wholesaler profits are under sever pressure because of competition and technical developments. Although the introduction of new developments in the fields of logistics, IT and transport offers advantages, it leads to fiercer competition just as much. Property management, product range control and buyers' cooperatives provide opportunities as well. Wholesalers have often grown into all-inclusive service providers, which means that they may offer credit or transport in addition to more traditional activities like storage and sorting. This blurs the dividing line between wholesalers and, for example, logistics services.

Wholesale businesses now use on-line stores more frequently as a continuation of their own business, due to which IT investments have increased considerably.

As many wholesalers are facing new problems, the demand for legal services in non-traditional legal areas has followed suit. At Marxman Advocaten, we are increasingly engaged to assist in setting up on-line stores and drawing up IT contracts. Traditionally we already focussed on the preparation of purchase and sales contracts, as well as distribution and agency agreements. Wholesalers now more frequently turn to the foreign partner offices of Marxman Advocaten - in particular our colleagues in Asian countries, who see a rising demand for assistance and assessment of contracts.