How it all began and where it’s heading - The Story of a Brand

Knowing the history of a company also means discovering a lot about the values it embodies. The story of Engel & Völkers began over 40 years ago in Hamburg and leads forward to now with more than 900 locations in over 30 countries worldwide. But what exactly led to this international success?

In 1977, Dirk C. Engel laid the foundation stone for the company we know today as Engel & Völkers. At that time, he was the exclusive representative of a brokerage firm based in the US. Four years after founding the company, Dirk C. Engel and Christian Völkers decided to open a broker’s office and the success story of Engel & Völkers took its course. Inspired by American franchising concepts, they changed the real estate sector fundamentally, breaking with the brokerage practices typical at the time. Engel & Völkers quickly developed into global experts on the property market – with the crucial advantage that their customers were always looked after by local market experts in their region. 

Market launch in Switzerland

Since 2002, Engel & Völkers has also been represented in Switzerland, and it now has approximately 50 locations available to its customers there. Digitalisation has always been a high priority at Engel & Völkers and since the start of the pandemic in particular, this knowledge has become invaluable. From customer service to virtual property viewings – thanks to innovative tools, Engel & Völkers were able to rapidly switch to virtual, contact-free consultancy and sales, and even increase their turnover in 2020. Still, no company can celebrate its successes without the people behind them. All the employees of Engel & Völkers – from licence partners to real estate agents – carry out their jobs with great passion and dedication. Passion is one of the essentials for major, lasting success, because Engel & Völkers does not only sell property, but helps people realise their dreams. This principle runs deep at Engel & Völkers, as the wishes and needs of its customers are always the top priority.

Further expansion planned

In Switzerland, there are still several vacant licences, which with a suitable licensing partnership will ensure increased growth in 2021. Even within the existing licence regions there is also further potential, as the property market continues to grow and will remain highly competitive in this and the coming year.

Become part of this unparalleled success

Are you interested in real estate? Would you like to become part of this booming sector? As a licence partner, you remain independent and yet enjoy the protection and benefits of a globally renowned brand.

Call us or write to us – we’ll be happy to provide you with information about a possible collaboration.

We look forward to hearing from you!