in Europe and the United States. internationally diversified portfolio a leading property with an company From a Rotterdam housing investor to From a Rotterdam housing investor
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75 years Wereldhave 1930-2005
From a Rotterdam housing investor to a leading property company with an internationally diversified portfolio in Europe and the United States. 205.0015wh_boek_ukremco.qxd 03-03-2005 12:39 Pagina 2**eendracht **Opmaak 2 HD:Users:eendracht:Desktop:Illustraties:
Content
A fascinating history 3
Period 1930-1931 5 The beginning, as a Rotterdam housing investor Period 1932-1939 9 Investing during the great depression Period 1940-1945 13 ‘De Wereldhaven’ turns into a construction company Period 1946-1949 17 A slow start on reconstruction Period 1950-1962 21 Helping to build a prosperous nation Period 1963-1972 25 Wereldhave grows vigorously, moves into Randstad region Period 1973-1980 29 Internationalisation and accelerated growth Period 1981-1989 33 Time to reflect, numerous changes and a major takeover Period 1990-2005 37 Portfolio renewal as the guiding thread
Wereldhave as a listed company: key facts 41
Historical list of property 44
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A fascinating history
he real estate industry is less prone to being swayed by the issues of Tthe day than some other sectors are. On the whole, it thinks in terms of years, rather than months. This does not make it any less interesting, though. The fascinating thing about real estate and property investments is that there are so many different factors that influence the use, results, demand and the valuation of property. The most important factors are buil- dings and locations, tenants, economy, interest rates and the availability of investment funds, the social environment and the national and international political environment.
Wereldhave’s longstanding history is the living proof of how captivating, surprising and, at times, drastic the goings-on at a property company can be. And how they are linked to their surroundings! That is why anticipating and responding to changing circumstances form the guiding thread in this jubilee book.
But most importantly: our investors have had no reason to regret their investment in Wereldhave, even in the days that Wereldhave was still called De Wereldhaven. This knowledge is a powerful inspiration for the future.
Gijs C.J. Verweij, Chairman of the Board of Management of Wereldhave N.V.
The Hague, March 2005
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The beginning, as a
Rotterdam housing investor Left ~ Rotterdam, Wijnhaven
On 30 May 1930, Jacobus van Amstel, Arie Arkenbout, Frederik Johannes van Peski and Gerardus Verwaal made their way to the notary’s office of R.L. Verhey, located in the Wijnhaven (‘Wine Port’) of Rotterdam. All four gentlemen were from the Rotterdam area, and all but one architects (Van Peski was an insurance broker). That Friday, the four gentlemen signed the memorandum of incorporation of a new NV (the Dutch equivalent of a PLC), a property investment company. Afterwards, they may well have Rotterdam, Wijnhaven
drunk to the future of their new company, ‘De Wereldhaven’ (‘The World Wereldhave was established on May 30, 1930 at the
Port’). Indeed, their glasses may have been raised in M