Wirtschaftsförderung Bremen

Wirtschaftsförderung Bremen GmbH (WFB) is the economic development agency of the Free Hanseatic City of Bremen, owned by the state of Bremen, the city of Bremen and the city of Bremerhaven. It is responsible for developing, strengthening and marketing Bremen as a business and leisure location, with the primary goal of safeguarding and creating jobs and providing good framework conditions for the local economy. Because several state companies were merged into the WFB, its remit goes beyond that of classic economic development agencies. The WFB was formed on 1 June 2009 as the successor to the Bremer Investitions-Gesellschaft mbH (BIG), bringing HVG Hanseatische Veranstaltungs-GmbH, Bremen Marketing GmbH and MGH Messe- und Ausstellungsgesellschaft Hansa GmbH under one roof. It also took over all shares in Bremer Aufbau-Bank, which has offered loans since 2001. Until 2022 the WFB was headquartered in the Kontorhaus am Markt near Bremen's market square, which it owned; it sold the building to a project development company of investor Christian Jacobs to free the way for new development projects in Bremen's city centre and moved its own seat to the Lloydhof from 2023. The WFB holds numerous subsidiaries and participations for structural and strategic reasons and acts as trustee for the state of Bremen. Key holdings include Bremer Aufbau-Bank GmbH (100%), H.A.G.E.-Grundstücksverwaltungsgesellschaft mbH (100%), Glocke Veranstaltungs-GmbH (100%), Bremer Weser-Stadion GmbH (50%), Musikfest Bremen GmbH (40%), EVG elko Veranstaltungs- und Gebäudeservice GmbH (20%) and GVZ Entwicklungs-Gesellschaft Bremen GmbH (26.47%). Its services span business location development, investment promotion, marketing of Bremen and Bremerhaven, science and culture marketing, and the city portal bremen.de. It also co-finances the ZwischenZeitZentrale Bremen, a network collective known across Europe for temporarily reactivating vacant buildings and brownfields. The WFB is headed by a managing director and supervised by a supervisory board chaired by the Senator for Economic Affairs, Ports and Transformation. It is a member of the German Association of Economic Development and Development Companies (Deutscher Verband der Wirtschaftsförderungs- und Entwicklungsgesellschaften).

The WFB Wirtschaftsförderung Bremen GmbH is a company of the state of Bremen, the city of Bremen and the city of Bremerhaven. It was created on 1 June 2009 as the successor to the Bremer Investitions-Gesellschaft mbH (BIG), which had been founded to make Bremen attractive to investors and to support companies looking for locations, commercial space, offices and commercial real estate. The BIG also took on other tasks to strengthen Bremen as a business location; from 2000 it developed a concept for large housing estates in Bremen with around 1,500 residential units that were threatened with forced auction. When the WFB was formed in 2009, HVG Hanseatische Veranstaltungs-GmbH, Bremen Marketing GmbH and MGH Messe- und Ausstellungsgesellschaft Hansa GmbH were brought together under one roof. The WFB also took over all shares in Bremer Aufbau-Bank, which has offered loans since 2001. In 2011 the then mayor of Bremerhaven, Jörg Schulz, sat on the supervisory board. Until 2022 the WFB was headquartered in the Kontorhaus am Markt, which is located in the immediate vicinity of Bremen's market square and was owned by the WFB. To free the way for new development projects in Bremen's city centre, the WFB sold the Kontorhaus am Markt to a project development company of investor Christian Jacobs and moved its own seat to the Lloydhof from 2023. In 2017 the shareholder sought a restructuring of the WFB: the Innovation department was to be spun off and placed with the Senator for Economic Affairs, and the trade fair business was to be merged with the wholesale market. The WFB holds numerous subsidiaries and participations for structural and strategic reasons and acts as trustee for the state of Bremen. According to its own information, it holds shares in Bremer Aufbau-Bank GmbH (100%), Glocke Veranstaltungs-GmbH (100%), which is responsible for the concert hall Die Glocke, Bremer Weser-Stadion GmbH (50%), Musikfest Bremen GmbH (40%) and EVG elko Veranstaltungs- und Gebäudeservice GmbH (20%). The companies wholly or majority owned by the WFB also have their own managing directors. The Bremer Aufbau-Bank was equipped with equity of around 137 million euros in 2010 (2009: 110,833,000). It also accompanies start-ups and IPOs. It in turn wholly owns BAB Beteiligungs- und Managementgesellschaft Bremen mbH and holds over 35% of Bürgschaftsbank Bremen GmbH and a quarter of Bremer Unternehmensbeteiligungsgesellschaft mbH. The Aufbau-Bank also had its seat in the Kontorhaus. Andreas Heyer is the full-time managing director. The chair of the supervisory board is Kristina Vogt, Senator for Economic Affairs, Ports and Transformation. At federal level the WFB is organised in the German Association of Economic Development and Development Companies (Deutscher Verband der Wirtschaftsförderungs- und Entwicklungsgesellschaften). Beyond its numerous company holdings, the WFB works on networking economic actors and marketing Bremen. The marketing area includes "Bremen und Bremerhaven bike it!" (marketing of cycling), science marketing, culture marketing, the relaunch of the city portal bremen.de, the press service Bremen and others. Together with SKUMS, SF, Immobilien Bremen and SWAE, it co-finances the Europe-wide known network collective ZwischenZeitZentrale Bremen, which temporarily revitalises and organises interim uses of temporarily vacant buildings and brownfields for the city of Bremen.

• 2023

  The WFB moves its own seat to the Lloydhof.

• 2022

  The WFB sells the Kontorhaus am Markt to a project development company of investor Christian Jacobs.

• 2017

  The shareholder seeks a restructuring of the WFB: the Innovation department is to be spun off to the Senator for Economic Affairs and the trade fair business merged with the wholesale market.

• 2011

  Jörg Schulz, then mayor of Bremerhaven, sits on the WFB supervisory board.

• 2010

  Bremer Aufbau-Bank is equipped with equity of around 137 million euros (2009: 110,833,000).

• 2009

  On 1 June, Wirtschaftsförderung Bremen GmbH becomes the successor to BIG, merging HVG Hanseatische Veranstaltungs-GmbH, Bremen Marketing GmbH and MGH Messe- und Ausstellungsgesellschaft Hansa GmbH under one roof; it also takes over all shares in Bremer Aufbau-Bank.

• 2001

  Bremer Aufbau-Bank begins offering loans.

• 2000

  BIG develops a concept for large housing estates in Bremen with around 1,500 residential units threatened with forced auction.

State-owned one-stop economic development agency for Bremen and Bremerhaven, combining classic business promotion with location marketing, events and financing.

• Economic development services

  One-stop services for the Bremen business community, including location development, investment promotion and support for companies.

• Location marketing

  Marketing of Bremen and Bremerhaven as business and leisure destinations, including science marketing, culture marketing and the city portal bremen.de.

• Bremer Aufbau-Bank financing

  Loans and financing for businesses, start-ups and IPOs through the wholly owned Bremer Aufbau-Bank.

• ZwischenZeitZentrale Bremen

  A Europe-wide known network collective that temporarily revitalises and organises interim uses of vacant buildings and brownfields.

1. 1Wirtschaftsförderung Bremen – Starten Sie mit uns | WFBwfb-bremen.de
2. 2WFB Corporate Governance und Beteiligungenwfb-bremen.de
3. 3Über uns – Überblick zur Wirtschaftsförderung Bremenwfb-bremen.de
4. 4Das sind wir – Aufbau der WFB, unsere Tätigkeit und unser Leitbildwfb-bremen.de
5. 5Wirtschaftsförderung Bremen – Wikidatawikidata.org
6. 6Wirtschaftsförderung Bremen – Wikipediade.wikipedia.org