Erik Ebenbauer

Hamburg, 13 October 2020. QUEST Investment Partners has acquired the historic Hindenburghaus property measuring 12,600 m2 from Allianz. Located in the Nikolaiviertel in downtown Hamburg, the seven-storey building at Großer Burstah 31 will be used for retail, office and residential purposes.

“We are always on the lookout for properties with a unique selling point. This office and commercial building is one of a kind — an architectural gem that harbours enormous potential,” explains Theja Geyer, Managing Partner at QUEST Investment Partners. The planned renovation aims to bring the original and distinctive character of this listed building back to the fore. Around 40 percent of the space is currently vacant due to ongoing refurbishment works. Since September 2020, QUEST Investment Partners has been renting out an area of 500 m2 to the pop-up bicycle store Concept Cycles.

A building with a rich history and noble interiors
Built in 1909 by the architects Hiller & Kuhlmann as a luxury hotel, the First World War put an end to the plans for this magnificent project. From then on, Hanseatic merchants used the traditional Kontorhaus as an office, conducting their business from there. The building is unique in many ways: the luxurious sandstone façade, the wood-panelled entrance hall with elaborate carvings, stucco-ornamented ceilings, fine woods, decorative marble floors and the staircase – preserved over decades – where giant chandeliers accentuate the various Art Nouveau elements. The centrally located property is within walking distance of the town hall, the stock exchange, various bus stops and the underground and suburban railway stations Rödingsmarkt and Stadthausbrücke.

CMS acted in an advisory capacity for the seller during the transaction. QUEST Investment Partners was advised on legal matters by SNP Schlawien, on technical matters by Propertunities and on tax matters by Hansa Partner Rommel & Meyer. JLL acted as broker.

About QUEST Investment Partners
Founded in 2016, QUEST Investment Partners is an investment and project development company with offices in Hamburg, Berlin, Munich and Frankfurt. QUEST focuses on investments in commercial properties with upside potential in top locations of major German cities and the Benelux countries. The team has extensive experience in the development of high-quality real estate projects. QUEST Funds is in charge of the fund business of the real estate company and makes individual investments in cooperation with institutional investors. The shareholders of QUEST Investment Partners are the managing directors Theja Geyer and Jan Rouven Künzel as well as the investment holding company of the Hamburg entrepreneur Erck Rickmers.
www.quest-investment.com

Hamburg, 13 October 2020. Aviva Investors, the global asset management business of Aviva plc, has acquired, on behalf of one of its clients, an office block formed of two interconnected buildings in Hamburg’s Alexanderstraße 1, from Quest Investment Partners.

The building, which together totals approximately 13,200 sq m of lettable floorspace, is fully let to the Municipality of Hamburg as part of a 20-years lease agreement. The rooms are home to the University of Applied Sciences (HAW), Hamburg’s second largest university, which also uses some of the spaces as offices.

Originally two buildings built in 1950 and 1979, the property was subsequently modernised in 2010. It is located in Hamburg’s central St. Georg district close to Lake Alster – between the central train station and the Berliner Tor office and business centre – and offers excellent public transport connections. Premium hotels such as the Grand Hotel Atlantic Kempinski and Le Méridien are all within walking distance, as are the two main shopping streets of Mönckebergstraße and Spitalerstraße, as well as theatres, galleries and the Kunsthalle art museum.

“We are pleased to make a new deal with the transactions team of Aviva Investors, following Neue Burg 1. The sale of this core property confirms our strategy of focusing on central locations in Germany’s top 4 cities,” says Luis Walther-Kraft, Head of Transactions & Partnering at QUEST Investment Partners.

Grégoire Bailly-Salins, Head of Transactions Continental Europe at Aviva Investors, added: “This acquisition adds to our existing portofolio of assets under management in Hamburg, including Neue Burg 1, ABC Straße 35 and Dornbusch 2 – 4. St Georg is an established location in the city, which already attracts core investors and large corporate tenants. We believe this submarket will improve further over the coming years, and add to the long-term potential of our portfolio under management.”

QUEST Investment Partners was advised by Hansa Partner Rommel & Meyer as tax adviser and SNP Schlawien as legal adviser. Aviva Investors was advised by DLA Piper, ARUP and BNP Paribas Real Estate.

About QUEST Investment Partners
Founded in 2016, QUEST Investment Partners is an investment and project development company with offices in Hamburg, Berlin, Munich and Frankfurt. QUEST focuses on investments in commercial properties with upside potential in top locations of major German cities and the Benelux countries. The team has extensive experience in the development of high-quality real estate projects. QUEST Funds is in charge of the fund business of the real estate company and makes individual investments in cooperation with institutional investors. The shareholders of QUEST Investment Partners are the managing directors Theja Geyer and Jan Rouven Künzel as well as the investment holding company of the Hamburg entrepreneur Erck Rickmers.

www.quest-investment.com

About AVIVA INVESTORS
Aviva Investors is the global asset management business of Aviva plc. The business delivers investment management solutions, services and client-driven performance to clients worldwide. Aviva Investors operates in 14 countries in Asia Pacific, Europe, North America and the United Kingdom with assets under management of £346 billion in assets as at 30 June 2019.

Hamburg, 6 October 2020. It is known as one of the most exclusive shopping locations in Germany and one of the ten high street retail centres in Europe: with the recent acquisition at Neuer Wall 54, QUEST Investment Partners has secured an asset in the centre of the luxurious shopping street with a long-term leasehold. Situated in a prime location, the building comprises around 4,650 m2, split between 65 percent office space and 35 percent dedicated to retail. The seller of the asset, MEAG, previously managed the asset on behalf of Munich Re and ERGO. Looking forward, the ownership will rest with a family-owned company that has signed a long- term ground lease with expiration in 2120. The long-term single-tenant of the retail space is the Danish furniture store Illums Bolighus.

The seven-storey building was fully renovated in 2000. The project developer intends to re-let the office space, to enhance the lobby and to upgrade the common areas.

“Neuer Wall positions itself as its own brand that stands for luxury, design and a Hanseatic way of life. As one of the best locations the city has to offer, the street benefits from an extraordinary flair that also attracts office users,” explains Theja Geyer, Managing Partner at QUEST Investment Partners. In 2005, the street became the first inner-city Business Improvement District in Germany. This was soon followed by the construction of wider walkways for pedestrians, new exterior street furniture and an elegant vegetation concept. The offices, which possess rare views of Hamburg’s canals, are particularly popular amongst law firms, as well as amongst blue-chip tenants from other industries.

The property is located in the heart of Hamburg’s city centre and in the immediate vicinity of Hamburg’s town hall, the Jungfernstieg and the Binnenalster. With its proximity to the central train station, the location offers excellent connections to local and long-distance public transport.

QUEST Investment Partners was advised by Jebens Mensching and Drees & Sommer in the acquisition phase. BNP Paribas acted as broker. GSK Stockmann was the advisor to the future owner of the space.

About QUEST Investment Partners
Founded in 2016, QUEST Investment Partners is an investment and project development company with offices in Hamburg, Berlin, Munich and Frankfurt. QUEST focuses on investments in commercial properties with upside potential in top locations of major German cities and the Benelux countries. The team has extensive experience in the development of high-quality real estate projects. QUEST Funds is in charge of the fund business of the real estate company and makes individual investments in cooperation with institutional investors. The shareholders of QUEST Investment Partners are the managing directors Theja Geyer and Jan Rouven Künzel as well as the investment holding company of the Hamburg entrepreneur Erck Rickmers.

www.quest-investment.com

Hamburg, 24 September 2020. The project developers at QUEST Investment Partners have rented out over 50 percent of their office property Fritz in Munich’s Ludwigsvorstadt district. Bellfort Real Estate, a real estate investor for residential, commercial and special real estate, will be taking over just under 1,900 m2 from the basement to the 2nd floor. The tenant will not be moving into the space himself, but instead plans to develop various concepts tailored to the building and its surroundings and to implement them with partners. A combination of restaurants and offices in separate units will enhance the modern character of the building and make the location more attractive for the other tenants.

QUEST Investment Partners will take over a further 500 m2 for its new Munich branch. Since July 2020, the company has been operating its own office in the Bavarian capital. This is the fourth location in Germany for the expanding project development and investment company. The move into the building is scheduled for late 2021 at the earliest, after completion of the extensive renovation measures.

“The demand for flexible office spaces in a central location and with a special flair remains unchanged, also in times of Corona. Fritz boasts an outstanding creative and modern work environment,” says Jan Rouven Künzel, Managing Partner at QUEST Investment Partners. Only the shell of the building at Schillerstraße 23a, which was constructed in 1973, will be preserved as part of the refurbishment. Following the two-storey extension, the building will comprise 4,500 m2 of office space across eight floors. A striking feature is the new façade: large window fronts combined with dark steel will provide a distinctive architectural style and lightflooded spaces.

The marketing lounge, a showpiece that resembles an installation artwork, recently received the German Design Award. Igenus Immobilien GmbH & Co. KG acted as broker in the letting process. Further information about the project: www.fritzmuenchen.de

About QUEST Investment Partners
Founded in 2016, QUEST Investment Partners is an investment and project development company with offices in Hamburg, Berlin, Munich and Frankfurt. QUEST focuses on investments in commercial properties with upside potential in top locations of major German cities and the Benelux countries. The team has extensive experience in the development of high-quality real estate projects. QUEST Funds is in charge of the fund business of the real estate company and makes individual investments in cooperation with institutional investors. The shareholders of QUEST Investment Partners are the managing directors Theja Geyer and Jan Rouven Künzel as well as the investment holding company of the Hamburg entrepreneur Erck Rickmers.

www.quest-investment.com

Hamburg, 20 August 2020 Hamburg hardly has a more prestigious property to offer: the Ballinhof building at Ballindamm 17 is one of the most exclusive addresses on the banks of the Binnenalster. The project developers at QUEST Investment Partners are refurbishing the listed Kontorhaus office building and have almost fully rented out the approximately 11,300 m² of office space. Alongside international management and strategy consultants, software experts, a family office and a company operating in the shipping industry will be enjoying the view of the water. The 6th floor, which measures 1,450 m² and features a 350 m² roof terrace for private use, is still available. Since 2019, the seven-storey building has been undergoing comprehensive refurbishment and modernisation with the help of HS Architekten. The first tenants will move into the property in early 2021.
The ground floor of this historic building offers a further 2,000 m2 of space for retail and restaurants. Outdoor areas with views of Lake Alster are located on the newly developed Ballindamm Boulevard and in the courtyard with its venerable charm. An exquisite café has already signed a rental agreement.

A prestigious gem in the finest location
The refurbishment plans are designed to preserve the historical features of this top property and combine them with the highest standards of modern and innovative office concepts. All floors will receive new layouts as well as new and modern building services; some floors will also feature attractive terraces with views of the Binnenalster or the rooftops of Hamburg. The elegant main entrance will be returned to its historical location of 1921. The courtyard will be upgraded and given a new look and feel.
The world famous Hotel Vier Jahreszeiten is located opposite Ballinhof, the luxury department store Alsterhaus on Jungfernstieg is only a few metres away, as are the Europa Passage designed by Hadi Teherani and the busy shopping street Mönckebergstraße.
The prestigious building in traditional Kontorhaus style dates back to plans by the renowned architects Lundt & Kallmorgen. They designed the office building in 1901/02 for the trading and shipping company A.C. de Freitas & Co.

For further information about the project please visit: www.ballinhof.de

About QUEST Investment Partners
Founded in 2016, QUEST Investment Partners is an investment and project development company with offices in Hamburg, Berlin and Frankfurt. QUEST focuses on investments in commercial properties with upside potential in top locations of major German cities and the Benelux countries. The team has extensive experience in the development of high-quality real estate projects. QUEST Funds is in charge of the fund business of the real estate company and makes individual investments in cooperation with institutional investors. The shareholders of QUEST Investment Partners are the managing directors Theja Geyer and Jan Rouven Künzel as well as the investment holding company of the Hamburg entrepreneur Erck Rickmers.

www.quest-investment.com

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Hamburg, 23 June 2020. On 1 May 2020, the Hamburg head office of the investment and project development company QUEST Investment Partners brought Ulrich Rössing (52) on board as Managing Director. Rössing will assume the newly-created position of technical Managing Director at the operational subsidiary QUEST Management GmbH. With a degree in architecture (Dipl.-Ing. Architektur), he will be responsible for the technical development, investment management as well as the planning and construction aspects of all projects in Germany. He heads up a team that currently counts 20 employees. Theja Geyer and Jan Rouven Künzel will remain the Managing Partners of the parent company QUEST Investment Partners.

Ulrich Rössing worked at ECE Projektmanagement G.m.b.H. & Co. KG in Hamburg for more than twelve years. Since 2008, he had been in charge of project and construction management of the office, traffic and industry projects in his capacity as Director Construction. Most recently, from 2017 to 2020, he served as Managing Director of DSR Immobilien GmbH in Hamburg and Rostock, where he was responsible for the technical project development and project management of various holiday hotels and resorts.

Ulrich Rössing graduated from Leibniz University in Hanover. As an architect, he is a member of the Hamburg Chamber of Architects.

About QUEST Investment Partners
Founded in 2016, QUEST Investment Partners is an investment and project development company with offices in Hamburg, Berlin and Frankfurt. QUEST focuses on investments in commercial properties with upside potential in top locations of major German cities and the Benelux countries. The team has extensive experience in the development of high-quality real estate projects. QUEST Funds is in charge of the fund business of the real estate company and makes individual investments in cooperation with institutional investors. The shareholders of QUEST Investment Partners are the managing directors Theja Geyer and Jan Rouven Künzel as well as the investment holding company of the Hamburg entrepreneur Erck Rickmers.
www.quest-investment.com

Hamburg, 4 June 2020. The project developers at QUEST Investment Partners have sold a prestigious commercial property in Berlin with 4,000 m2 of office space to KanAm Grund Group as part of a forward deal. The property will become part of KanAm’s open-ended real estate fund ‘LEADING CITY INVEST’. The traditional Kontorhaus building at Charlottenstraße 82 is a true classic and features a listed, sculptured façade. It was designed for Iduna Versicherung in 1913 by the architect Paul Mebes, a member of the Prussian Academy of Arts. QUEST Investment Partners acquired the iconic seven-storey landmark in Berlin’s Kreuzberg district at the end of 2019. “Thanks to the good location, superb architectural design by Paul Mebes and our refurbishment concept, we were able to find a suitable tenant for the entire building in a very short time. At the same time, we succeeded in selling the property as part of a forward deal with a building obligation,” explains Jan Rouven Künzel, Managing Partner at QUEST Investment Partners. The parties agreed not to disclose the sales price.

Monument protection meets contemporary elements
The implementation of the planned measures for the renamed C82 will begin in the third quarter of 2020. The building is expected to be ready for occupancy by autumn 2021 at the latest. The refurbishment concept was elaborated in cooperation with the architecture and consulting firm CSMM and comprises the common areas with a redesigned entrance foyer as well as the historical staircases and parts of the office areas. The walls and ceilings are decorated with high- quality wooden slats in organic shapes. This new design element generates a fascinating spatial dialogue with the historical building, creating a new, holistic appearance. In the foyer, the new design elements will provide a deliberate contrast to the rectangular historical building stock. The façade of the listed courtyard with its restored glazed clinker bricks and red terracotta ornaments will be treated and cleaned – both the material and the colours will lend it a very special flair. In addition, the building, which was renovated in 1998 in line with the standards of monument preservation, will receive modern technical equipment and new heating and cooling systems. As part of the refurbishment, the aim is to reach the highest possible level of sustainability certification.

Further information about the development of this project can be found at www.c82berlin.de

Savills acted as intermediary in the purchase of the property (asset deal) in December 2019 through a structured bidding process and in the current sale. Hansa Partner Rommel & Meyer provided tax advice to QUEST Investment Partners during the transaction; Greenberg Traurig LLP acted as legal adviser in the purchase, Jebens Mensching PartG mbB in the sale. The rental arrangements were handled by BNP Paribas.

About QUEST Investment Partners
Founded in 2016, QUEST Investment Partners is an investment and project development company with offices in Hamburg, Berlin and Frankfurt. QUEST focuses on investments in commercial properties with upside potential in top locations of major German cities and the Benelux countries. The team has extensive experience in the development of high-quality real estate projects. QUEST Funds is in charge of the fund business of the real estate company and makes individual investments in cooperation with institutional investors. The shareholders of QUEST Investment Partners are the managing directors Theja Geyer and Jan Rouven Künzel as well as the investment holding company of the Hamburg entrepreneur Erck Rickmers.
www.quest-investment.com

Frankfurt/Hamburg, 06 May 2020. The real estate investment manager QUEST Funds welcomes a new team member: on 1 May 2020, David Constantin Hieronymi (29) joined the company’s Frankfurt office as Transaction Manager. He most recently worked at the real estate consultancy Colliers International, holding a position as Senior Analyst within the Central Investment Team, which operates across Germany.
Having completed two master’s degrees with distinction at the International Real Estate Business School (IREBS) in Regensburg and at the University of Westminster in London, Hieronymi went on to support the Central Investment Team at Colliers. In addition to developing new business from the very beginning, he advised on portfolio and large-cap transactions across asset classes as well as buy-side mandates.

In his new role as Transaction Manager at QUEST Funds, he will be coordinating the buy and sell processes for institutional investments from acquisition to closing.

About QUEST Investment Partners
Founded in 2016, QUEST Investment Partners is an investment and project development company with offices in Hamburg, Berlin and Frankfurt. QUEST focuses on investments in commercial properties with upside potential in top locations of major German cities and the Benelux countries. The team has extensive experience in the development of high-quality real estate projects. QUEST Funds is in charge of the fund business of the real estate company and makes individual investments in cooperation with institutional investors. The shareholders of QUEST Investment Partners are the managing directors Theja Geyer and Jan Rouven Künzel as well as the investment holding company of the Hamburg entrepreneur Erck Rickmers. www.quest-investment.com

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Hamburg, 12 March 2020. After Hamburg, Berlin and Frankfurt, the project developers at QUEST Investment Partners have now also expanded into the Bavarian capital. Working with CSMM architects, they are revitalising an office and commercial building from 1973 situated at Schillerstraße 23a in Munich’s up-and-coming Ludwigsvorstadt district. The Fritz property is to undergo complete refurbishment, with only the shell of the building remaining. Two new full floors will be added – the building permit has already been obtained -, as well as a roof terrace with a view over the city. Balconies, bay windows and a glass extension with terrace areas will fill the future courtyard with new life and light. The new façade with its large window fronts will allow for light-flooded rooms and lend the building at the street corner a distinctive appearance. Spread across eight floors, some 4,500 m2 of office space will provide state-of-the-art technology and rooms three metres high for flexible use.
The revitalisation of the Fritz building – named after the street’s namesake Friedrich Schiller – will begin in mid-2020, letting activities start these days. An added benefit for tenants and guests: there are 18 underground parking and outdoor parking spaces.

“We are delighted with our first property in Munich and remain convinced that the area around Schillerstraße will develop very positively,” says Jan Rouven Künzel, Managing Partner at QUEST Investment Partners. The pedestrian zone in this bustling and international neighbourhood with its numerous hotels, residential buildings, retailers and grocery stores is to be extended to connect the central station with Stachus and Marienplatz. The southern part of Schillerstraße, which already features microflats and apartment blocks, will be significantly upgraded by the planned campus for Earth and Environmental Sciences of Ludwig Maximilian University.

QUEST Investment Partners acquired the multi tenant property in early 2019. In the transaction, Deutsche Pfandbriefbank AG acted as financing bank, Cushman & Wakefield LLP as intermediary broker, Hansa Partner Rommel & Meyer as tax adviser and Greenberg Traurig Germany, LLP as legal adviser.

About QUEST Investment Partners
Founded in 2016, QUEST Investment Partners is an investment and project development company with offices in Hamburg, Berlin and Frankfurt. QUEST focuses on investments in commercial properties with upside potential in top locations of major German cities and the Benelux countries. The team has extensive experience in the development of high-quality real estate projects. QUEST Funds is in charge of the fund business of the real estate company and makes individual investments in cooperation with institutional investors. The shareholders of QUEST Investment Partners are the managing directors Theja Geyer and Jan Rouven Künzel as well as the investment holding company of the Hamburg entrepreneur Erck Rickmers.

www.quest-investment.com

FRITZ will be a distinctive, light-flooded building in Munich’s up-and-coming Ludwigsvorstadt district.
Visualisation of the property: beyond visual arts

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• Portfolio includes 15 funds with properties in Germany and the Benelux countries
• Strengthening of management expertise in the existing business
• Assets under management rise to 2.5 billion euros for QUEST Investment Partners

Frankfurt/Hamburg, 05 March 2020. As of April 1, 2020, the investment manager QUEST Funds is taking over the real estate fund portfolio managed by the North German investment company NORDCAPITAL. The portfolio includes 15 funds with office properties in Germany and the Benelux countries, comprising some 265,000 m2 of space and an investment volume of 1.2 billion euros. All asset managers in charge of the real estate funds will transfer to QUEST Funds. “We are pleased that the employees joining us will bring on board proven expertise in portfolio and active asset management. At QUEST Funds we are bringing together the whole real estate fund expertise of the Erck Rickmers Group in order to grow the institutional business under one roof and with a wealth of know-how,” explains Roland Holschuh, Managing Partner at QUEST Funds.

From project developer of premium office properties to asset manager
With the establishment of QUEST Funds and the upcoming takeover of the real estate fund portfolio, QUEST Investment Partners is developing in dynamic ways: from a pure developer to a real estate group with its own asset and fund management, implementing individual investment strategies with institutional investors. Examples for this are the joint ventures for the acquisition of the Hamburg Überseehaus, the Focus Teleport property in Berlin and the project development at Baseler Straße 46-48 in Frankfurt.

Since its foundation in 2016, QUEST Investment Partners has invested over 1.4 billion euros in 28 properties with an area of almost 217,000 m². Following the takeover of the real estate fund portfolio, total assets under management will amount to 2.5 billion euros.

About QUEST Investment Partners
Founded in 2016, QUEST Investment Partners is an investment and project development company with offices in Hamburg, Berlin and Frankfurt. QUEST focuses on investments in commercial properties with upside potential in top locations of major German cities and the Benelux countries. The team has extensive experience in the development of high-quality real estate projects. QUEST Funds is in charge of the fund business of the real estate company and makes individual investments in cooperation with institutional investors. The shareholders of QUEST Investment Partners are the managing directors Theja Geyer and Jan Rouven Künzel as well as the investment holding company of the Hamburg entrepreneur Erck Rickmers.

www.quest-investment.com

Westgate II, a fund property, is an Amsterdam office building with over 26,000 m² of office space; The sole tenant is PricewaterhouseCoopers. The lease runs until at least 2029.

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