Who we are History 1989-1999

1989-1999: A new Europe emerges

1989: The Danish Design Council awarded the GGL VELUX roof window the ID “Classic Prize”, wich Lars Kann-Rasmussen accepted on behalf of VELUX International
Transportation of a VELUX window in a romanian Dacia 1300

The end of the Cold War allows new markets to emerge

The fall of the iron curtain thawed political tensions and created new opportunities with more markets opening up in former Communist states and in the Far East.
The fall of the Berlin Wall not only unified Germany; it also marked the end of the Cold War. Many of the former Soviet satellite states in Eastern Europe gained their independence and the freedom to trade with Western Europe. This coincided with the recovery from the economic downturn that had plagued Europe since the oil crisis.

The VELUX Group also experienced steady progress throughout the decade. The organisation’s global strategy of introducing improved logistics and establishing local sales and production companies in further countries, including Russia and China, ensured the global availability of VELUX products.​

In 1992, Villum Kann Rasmussen’s eldest son, Lars Kann-Rasmussen, became Chairman of the board of V. Kann Rasmussen Industri - the parent company of the VELUX Group. Villum died in 1993 at the age of 84, leaving behind a prosperous group of companies in rapid expansion as well as two non-profit foundations.

During the next decades, Lars Kann-Rasmussen developed, modernised and expanded the VELUX Group into an international enterprise, consolidating its position as a market leader in the building components industry. ​

With the implementation of the VES (VELUX European Standard) programme in 1991, all VELUX companies were given a standardised logo. From top: International logo from 1973, German logo from 1974, and the universal VELUX logo, designed in 1990.