The wvm Group builds apartments. It has been doing so for over thirty years.
In Cologne, the company is one of the leading players in residential construction; in Berlin, it has been a continuous presence in the market for more than ten years. While many project developers come and go, the wvm Group has remained. And grown. In an industry that likes to define itself through reinvention, the company focuses on something else: continuity.
A conversation with Managing Director Erika Werres about attitude, responsibility, and the power of stability in turbulent times.
Ms. Werres, your company has been growing for decades without making a big fuss or making grand gestures. Is that a calculated strategy or a reflection of your character?
Erika Werres: It’s consistency. Of course, housing is also subject to change—both social and economic. But a condominium is more than just a product you swap out or replace. It’s a Nest. A place of refuge. Part of a neighborhood. Part of a way of life. When people buy an apartment, they’re not just choosing square footage, but a daily life, security, and an environment where life happens. That requires a different approach from us than with traditional consumer goods. We take trends seriously, but we put them into perspective. What matters isn’t what’s in demand in the short term, but what stands the test of time.
Nevertheless, the narrative of disruption and radical change often dominates in business and politics.
Erika Werres: Disruption has its place where things are dispensable. Apartments are not among them. No one wants to live disruptively. People want to settle in, be able to stay, and feel safe. This obligates us to a different form of responsibility.
You often speak of continuity. What does that mean in concrete terms in the day-to-day work of a project developer?
Erika Werres: Housing construction is a chain of processes that begins with the purchase of a plot of land and only ends when someone turns the key and moves in. Years lie in between: planning, financing, construction, sales. Each step feeds into the next. For us, continuity means keeping this chain stable while simultaneously making it ever more precise. If you cut corners at any point, someone else ends up paying the price.
Many companies define themselves by speed and agility. Yours seems deliberately unhurried.
Erika Werres: Speed is not a value in and of itself. In residential construction, it is not speed that matters, but reliability over time. Our decisions have an impact not for months, but for decades. Those who rush here may save money in the short term, but they end up paying more in the long run.
And yet the wvm Group is growing steadily, in Cologne as well as in Berlin.
Erika Werres: Growth is part of entrepreneurship, but it is not an end in itself. If you do a good job over the long term, eventually more people will trust you with responsibility—buyers, partners, cities. This isn’t a single moment, but a slow accumulation of trust.
This approach is also reflected in your physical space right now. You’ve moved into a new office.
Erika Werres: Yes. We wanted to create a space that better suits the way we work today. More closeness, more interaction, more clarity. The showroom is now part of this space. That changes conversations, both internally and externally. Spaces aren’t just a setting. They amplify our approach.
Especially in times of economic uncertainty, this is a deliberate signal.
Erika Werres: Perhaps a subtle one. We are financially sound, with an equity ratio of over thirty percent. We finance ourselves in a traditional way, without experimentation. Stability does not come from the courage to take risks, but from the courage to exercise restraint.
Who is buying your apartments today?
Erika Werres: Primarily people looking for a home. At the same time, the number of those who view housing as a long-term investment is growing. And we are increasingly working with institutional investors who believe in Germany as a location and view housing as infrastructure.
What gives you confidence looking ahead?
Erika Werres: That the fundamentals won’t change. People need housing. Good apartments. In vibrant neighborhoods. Our job is to take responsibility for that. Not spectacular. But sustainable.
