Legal Definitions - en gros

En gros is a French legal term meaning "in total," "as a whole," or "by wholesale." It refers to something considered or dealt with as a single, undivided unit, often implying a large quantity or a lump-sum transaction.

• Example 1: Commercial Inventory Sale

  A small electronics retailer decides to close its physical store and move entirely online. To clear out its remaining stock quickly, the owner sells all of the display models, backroom inventory, and store fixtures en gros to a liquidation company for a single, agreed-upon price.

  This illustrates "en gros" because the entire collection of goods and assets is sold as one complete lot, rather than individual items being sold separately.

• Example 2: Real Estate Development

  A property developer plans to build a new residential community. Instead of purchasing individual plots from several different landowners, the developer negotiates with a single large landowner to acquire 50 acres of undeveloped land en gros, encompassing all the necessary parcels for the project.

  Here, "en gros" signifies that the substantial acreage is bought as a unified block of land in a single transaction, rather than through piecemeal acquisitions.

• Example 3: Legal Settlement

  In a class-action lawsuit where many individuals have similar claims against a large corporation, the parties might agree to an en grossettlement. This means the corporation pays a single, total sum of money to resolve all claims from all members of the class, which is then distributed among them according to a predetermined formula, rather than negotiating each individual claim separately.

  This demonstrates "en gros" because a comprehensive, lump-sum agreement is reached to cover all outstanding claims collectively, treating the entire set of liabilities as one unit.