Broad term for a business entity or person engaged in commercial transactions, manufacturing, or contracting. Often used in compound phrases like 販売業者 (seller) or 建設業者 (construction company).
I hired a moving company to transport my belongings.
2
noun
fellow trader; people in the same trade
Refers to others in the same line of business, often with a nuance of shared professional identity. Less common than sense 1 and typically used in industry-specific contexts.