Post-war Western Europe experienced an economic jump-start. None more so than West Germany, whose Wirtschaftswunder reflected positively on the VELUX Group.
Economic boost in Germany
The Second World War left war-torn Europe devastated and divided. With financial aid from the USA and increased productivity in the region, West Germany in particular, experienced a significant boost in its economy. Its ‘economic miracle’ (Wirtschaftswunder) was to play a key role in the VELUX Group’s earnings over the coming years.
A German partnership
In 1952, with the help of an employee who was fluent in German, Villum Kann Rasmussen formed a partnership with Ernst Günter Albers, the owner of the joinery E. Albers & V. Drathen (ALDRA) in Meldorf, West Germany. Together, they established VELUX GmbH Bauzubehör.
Expanding across borders
From 1956 West Germany became the VELUX Group’s largest market. From the beginning of the 1960s, sales in West Germany were ten times higher than in Denmark. Based on this success, the VELUX Group expanded its operations into France and Austria in 1964.