The trade Association hides/leather (WHL) emerged by the fusion of the formerly independent organisations “General Association of the German Leather Wholesale and Foreign Trade” and “German Confederation of Hide and Fur Trade” in 1995. Both associations had existed for over 45 years at the time of the merger.
At its creation in 1995, the WHL was resident in Backnang. On 1 January 2006, the management of the WHL was taken over by the Federation of German Wholesale, Foreign Trade and Services. Since that time the association’s head office is in Berlin.