Bernd Hallier, born at July 28 th 1947 in  Hamburg/Germany, studied at Hamburg University and graduated with a MA-degree in Economics.

He then worked in distribution where he became assistant to the Board and Key-account-manager of an international cigarette company. During that time additionally as a part-time student he wrote his PhD-thesis about the response to high-tech-innovation in wholesale/retail versus the relationship between trade and consumer-products industry. His analysis of cigarette-sales via vending machines (included in his thesis) could be seen as a first ECR-project applied already between 1979 and 1982 (Hallier, B., Organisation und Marktstrategie im Tabakwarenfachgroßhandel, Göttingen, 1983). 

In 1985 he became head of the Institute for Self-Service (ISB) in Cologne/Germany which he first transformed into the German Trade Institute (DHI) and then in 1993 into the European Trade Institute (EHI) today labeled as EHI Retail Institute. Already during his studies he gained international experience due to traineeships in Turkey , Israel, South Africa, Japan, China. Later he traveled and lectured in all continents of the world.

He was honoured in the Czech Republic

•  in 1994 from the Economics University Prague;
•  getting the Alois Rasin-Medal in 2000;
•  getting the 50 years-jubilee-Medal in 2003.

In 2006, 2007, 2008 and 2009 he supported the Czech Republic by teaching in Budweis University as  a visiting professor  and  in 2009  as well as at the VSE Prague (University of Economics).

In Russia he became

• in 2003 “Professor honoris causa” at the Moscow academy of business at the Government of Moscow;
• in 2007 doctor honoris causa at the Ural State University of Economics.

In Kazakhstan in 2010 B.Hallier was appointed as a member of the Association of the Eurasian  Economic Club of Scientists. This organization was established  in 2008 by the president of Kazakhstan N. Nazarbayev and is backing the annual Astana Economic Forum in Kazakhstan. Among its speakers in 2010 had been three Nobel Prize Winners of Economics: Prof. Dr. R. A. Mundell (1999), Prof. Dr. F. E. Kydland (2004) and Prof. Dr. R.Y. Aumann (2005).

His publications cover themes of macro-economics as well a micro-economics especially in trade, but he also covers the intertwine between commerce and culture. His book “Culture and History of Commerce” is published in the German, Korean, and Russian tongue. The Chinese version is under preparation. His book “EuroShop” (German/English) became an international standard for shopfitting and was translated into Russian with  the titel "Modern stores. A history of technical development".