Berlin – November 06, 2026 -- Gero Furchheim has been unanimously re-elected president of the German E-Commerce and Mail Order Association (bevh), with bureaucratic overload for small and mid-sized companies named as the top priority of his new term.
Members vote in Brussels at ordinary general meeting
The vote took place at an ordinary members' meeting in Brussels. Furchheim has led bevh as an honorary president since 2014. He has also headed the European umbrella body Ecommerce Europe since January 2025, giving online retailers a voice at EU level.
Deputy Dieter Junghans and four board members confirmed
Dieter Junghans of Pro-Idee was re-elected as one of Furchheim's deputies. The board also confirmed Ulrich Betzold (Arnulf Betzold), Joachim Fauth (Reader's Digest Deutschland / Verlag Das Beste), René Otto (ROCKnSHOP) and Lars Schade.
Furchheim shifts bevh's political focus to Brussels
Furchheim said the association will set a political focus on Europe, because the course for digital commerce is being set in Brussels today. He called for practical regulatory conditions and more room for the industry to operate.
Autonomous AI systems seen reshaping the shopping experience
Furchheim described artificial intelligence as no longer just a support tool but a technology evolving into autonomous systems that fundamentally change how consumers shop. His stated goal for the term is for European and German e-commerce to lead in this new AI era rather than merely accompany the change.
Furchheim is also management board spokesman at Cairo AG, a mid-sized designer furniture retailer with catalog, online and store business.