Since the beginning of this year, a number of both national and international firms have located very successfully in Bremen. Altogether, twelve settlements alongside the River Weser have been recorded from Germany. These are supplemented by four further companies, predominately from China, which have established a subsidiary in Bremen. The successful settlement of a Turkish textile company had already been arranged through the office of the Bremen Economic Development Company WFB that opened up in Izmir in March. Around 280 new jobs have been created in the wake of these business settlements. “Apart from the settlements already achieved, we also have a whole string of interested firms in the pipeline,” as Andreas Heyer, Chairman of the Management Board of WFB Wirtschaftsförderung Bremen GmbH, comments on the successful new settlements. “We are in intensive contact with these enterprises too so as to show them all the possibilities that exist for relocating their operational base to the Free Hanseatic City of Bremen.” It is one of the main tasks of WFB Wirtschaftsförderung Bremen GmbH to look after firms that are already resident in Bremen, but another of its principal jobs is to help companies in their move to the city-state. The provision of ongoing support and the close monitoring of progress, also over a longer period of time, is an important factor. But the various options available in terms of real estate or business sites for commerce and industry also play a key role in any decision.