Happy in Bremen's Prime Location: Bankhaus Neelmeyer and OLB on the market square under one roof
- Bremen | 12. Juni 2025
Summary
- Official opening of the modernised location after a long renovation phase
- CEO Stefan Barth: “This is our strong commitment to Bremen”
- Volker Katschinski, founder of dan pearlman: “OLB shows how an established financial institution can completely rethink banking”
Plenty of light, fresh colours, open spaces and contemporary furnishings instead of outdated charm: at the bank's traditional location at Am Markt 14-16 in Bremen, which for more than 100 years has been the headquarters of Bankhaus Neelmeyer, a subsidiary of OLB, OLB is presenting itself in a new design that focuses on openness and interaction. After two and a half years of extensive renovation under the leadership of the Gustav Zech Foundation, the building's owner, the modern Bremen branch officially opened on Thursday, 12 June 2025.
With green dominating the ground floor and striking blue on the first floor, the colour scheme also emphasises that the two brands, OLB and Bankhaus Neelmeyer, are now operating together under one roof. The period of temporary accommodation on Wachtstraße since spring 2022 is now over. "We are delighted to be able to welcome our customers back to our historic headquarters on Bremen's market square," says Dr Marc Jochims, Head of Bankhaus Neelmeyer. "It feels like we're coming home," says Corinna Voss, Head of the Bremen branch for Bankhaus Neelmeyer. Jutta Jünemann and Birgit Woletz, heads of the OLB branch area Bremen/Delmenhorst in the private and business customer segment, are also enthusiastic: "We have many beautiful branches, but Bremen is a very special location with its new design in an outstanding location on the market square and in a great building with a long history," they say.
The branch concept was consistently based on the requirements of the customers. In addition to the quick handling of minor issues and cash withdrawals or deposits, the focus remains on what customers value most: competent, personal advice on an equal footing and a high level of commitment from the employees, as well as suitable solutions even for complex financial requirements. In Bremen's elegant city centre, this offering is crowned by a view of a World Heritage Site, thanks to the town hall and Roland statue outside the windows. A total of around 50 employees work for OLB and Bankhaus Neelmeyer at the Markt location, serving well over 10,000 customers in the retail and high-net-worth private customer segments in the Hanseatic city's catchment area.
Strong commitment to Bremen
In his speech at the opening, OLB CEO Stefan Barth emphasised the importance of the location: "The modernisation and reopening of this branch in such a prominent location is a strong commitment to Bremen. We are investing here in the joint presence of OLB and Bankhaus Neelmeyer under one roof. This underlines our strategy of further expanding our range of services and achieving sustainable growth."
The new branch concept is part of OLB's comprehensive rebranding and was developed for the Bank by the renowned Berlin agency dan pearlman. Bremen is the second OLB location to open with the new look after Nordenham. The branches in Rastede and Vechta will follow next. "OLB is showing how an established financial institution can completely rethink banking: 360-degree repositioning, new design, new branches. For OLB customers, this creates a place that not only promises the brand claim “smart advice”, but also makes it a reality," says Volker Katschinski, Creative Director and Founder of dan pearlman and Lead Designer of the project. "OLB is proving that personal advice on site combined with online banking is not a thing of the past, but of the future. For us as brand architects, the collaboration was much more than just a job; it was a real statement about the future viability of customer-oriented modern banking."
The contemporary design not only stands for a modern banking experience, but also increases employee satisfaction in the branches. The contemporary design with fresh colours and, above all, the open-plan layout promote communication and collaboration, while emphasising the combination of tradition and innovation, particularly in Bremen. With its new location on the market square, OLB is demonstrating how it is shaping its future as a Bank with more than 150 years of history – customer-focused, modern and geared towards growth.
About OLB
OLB is a widely diversified universal bank with a nationwide presence and more than 150 years of experience in the core region of north-west Germany. Under the OLB and Bankhaus Neelmeyer brands, the Bank advises its approximately 1 million customers in the Private & Business Customers and Corporate & Diversified Lending segments in person and via digital channels. OLB has total assets of more than EUR 30 billion, making it a significant financial institution in Europe.
Feel free to visit us at www.olb.de and www.neelmeyer.de as well as on Facebook, Instagram and YouTube.
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