wholesale business; wholesale trade
Refers to the industry or business of buying goods in bulk from manufacturers and selling them to retailers, rather than directly to consumers.
He has been running a wholesale business for many years.
The wholesale trade is closely related to the retail trade.
小売業 sells goods directly to consumers, while 卸売業 sells goods in bulk to retailers or other businesses.
Standard kanji spelling for 'wholesale business'.
Variant with okurigana り; both forms are used, but 卸売業 is more compact and common in business contexts.
Compound of 卸 (おろし, 'wholesale') + 売り (うり, 'selling') + 業 (ぎょう, 'business/industry'). The kanji 卸 is used specifically for wholesale transactions.