Branch (banking)

A branch ( from the Latin filia for "daughter" ) is a local office of a company, usually a retail company or a bank. Legally, the branch is considered as a permanent establishment. Companies that operate branches are referred to as chain stores, also known as multi-establishment enterprises or chain stores. In the trade, the trade -company business concept of chain stores is easily confused with the concepts of franchising, the volunteer chain or the co-operative outlets. In contrast to the branches, each led by a salaried store manager, the franchise operations and the member companies of volunteers chain or a cooperative of independent retailers are performed.

Origin

The term branch actually means that one is in a relationship, how the children to the parents. Therefore, initially used particularly institutions that were assumed by other or incorporated, and therefore dependent on these or subordinate to them, this designation. For example, the Branch Church ( Church daughter, filia ecclesia ) a church that does not have a pastor, but is jointly supplied from that of another, usually adjacent Mother Church. This was how the little more common terms such as filial community, branch school or branch institutes, so branch business and branch establishments that were either away or even by the private residence built.

Although linguistically similar, Branch does not have much to do with subsidiaries. The branch is a legally dependent branch during subsidiaries is a legally independent ( but economically unselbstständiges ) companies.

Legally and linguistically comparative law the "branch" in the German legal language of the French is to distinguish " branch ": While the former is legally dependent as already mentioned, the latter has a separate legal personality. The French " branch " corresponds to the " subsidiary ". The German branch would be translated in French are called " succursale ".

Branches in the commercial

Branches of commercial enterprises are normally conducted by the corporate headquarters. The goods or services in the branches of a company is usually standardized ( trademarks, product range, features the store ). The promotional activities are organized regionally. Many companies use the other hand also ways of taking appropriate consideration regional specialties in the field of stores.

A chain consists of several such stores. However, many businesses, retail chain also be guided by the principle or franchise as a cooperative with legally independent, not bound by instructions operators under a common appearance; in these premises it is ( even if often colloquially referred to as ) not to stores. Pure branch systems operate, for example, Aldi, Lidl, Schlecker, Kaufhof, both stores and franchisees example, there are at Obi and co-operative stores and retail outlets at Sky Plaza, Rewe and Edeka.