Frank Netzband

Hamburg, 02 May 2018. In early 2019, the project developers at QUEST Investment Partners will begin the full refurbishment of the listed building at Ballindamm 17 in Hamburg. Close to 13,000 m² of rental space in a premium location directly on the Binnenalster lake will be restructured in a contemporary way and equipped with new building services. To this end, the seven-storey building will be extensively gutted and revitalised; the historical condition will be partially restored. The main entrance, for instance, is to be returned to its original location from 1921. In addition, the inner courtyard with its charming brick façade is to be upgraded in the style of Berlin’s Hackesche Höfe and made available for use. A new addition are attractive roof terraces with views of the Binnenalster.

Going forward, each floor will provide around 1,800 m² of high-end office space. The ground floor is intended for retail and restaurant spaces. A renovation of the façade will lend the building on Ballindamm a new appearance. Completion is scheduled for 2020.

In 1901/02 the architects Lundt & Kallmorgen designed the office building for the trading and shipping company A.C. de Freitas & Co. In 1905 and 1921, two further building sections were completed, which means that the building now features three components from different years of construction.

About QUEST Investment Partners

QUEST Investment Partners is a real estate project development and investment company with offices in Hamburg and Berlin. QUEST focuses on investments in commercial and residential properties with upside potential in top locations in Hamburg and Berlin. In retail developments the focus is on good inner-city locations in German metropolitan regions. The QUEST team has extensive experience in the development of high-quality real estate projects and continuously aims at increasing the real estate values of its shareholders and investors. QUEST’s shareholders are the managing directors Theja Geyer and Jan Rouven Künzel as well as the investment holding company of the Hamburg entrepreneur Erck Rickmers who is invested in real estate, equity investments and shipping.
www.quest-investment.com

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Hamburg, 24 April 2018. The Hamburg real estate project development company QUEST Investment Partners has acquired the site “Neue Burg 1” in Hamburg’s Nikolai district from HIH Projektentwicklung GmbH. On the site at Hopfenmarkt, QUEST is planning to develop a nine-storey office building with approx. 6,470 m² of rental space, of which approx. 5,500 m² will serve as office space along with an underground car park with 20 parking spaces. Thanks to its flexible structure, the space can be used to suit individual requirements: single or group offices are just as possible as an open-plan solution. The ground floor offers space for shop units that can also be used for food services.

The cube-shaped property designed by the architects Stölken Schmidt features slender lines that rise up vertically on the outer façade. It thus harmonises perfectly with the adjacent memorial St. Nikolai Church. The project is already under construction and is scheduled for completion by the end of 2019. QUEST will use parts of Neue Burg 1 for its own purposes.

Neue Burg 1 is located in Hamburg’s Nikolai district, the largest inner-city European Business Improvement District (BID) with a project volume of 9.3 million euros. It runs from the Chamber of Commerce to Rödingsmarkt and from Alter Wall to Willy-Brandt-Straße. Within the time frame of the BID from August 2014 to July 2019, various measures have been and will be implemented to convert the site back into an attractive retail and office location in downtown Hamburg. The BID will also shift the focus back to historical places such as the Trostbrücke bridge, the building of the Patriotic Society, Neue Burg and St. Nikolai memorial.

About QUEST Investment Partners

QUEST Investment Partners is a real estate project development and investment company with offices in Hamburg and Berlin. QUEST focuses on investments in commercial and residential properties with upside potential in top locations in Hamburg and Berlin. In retail developments the focus is on good inner-city locations in German metropolitan regions. The QUEST team has extensive experience in the development of high-quality real estate projects and continuously aims at increasing the real estate values of its shareholders and investors. QUEST’s shareholders are the managing directors Theja Geyer and Jan Rouven Künzel as well as the investment holding company of the Hamburg entrepreneur Erck Rickmers who is invested in real estate, equity investments and shipping. www.quest-investment.com

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Hamburg, 11 April 2018. After the Hamburg real estate project development company QUEST Investment Partners acquired part of the Bremer Carrée in July 2017, the new major tenant of this distinctive five-storey retail property has now been determined: the fashion group AppelrathCüpper has signed a rental agreement and will open its doors to the public in spring 2019. The property is currently being fitted with a modern, high-quality steel-glass façade with DecoColour glass. It is situated in one of the most heavily frequented parts of downtown Bremen and enjoys a high degree of visibility thanks to its location at the street corner. To do justice to the historical location at Ansgarikirchhof, QUEST officially renamed this part of the Bremer Carrée ensemble “Ansgari Haus”.

“Our aim was to give positive momentum to Bremen’s city centre with a new concept. AppelrathCüpper helps to raise the profile and status of the location and the building,” says Jan Rouven Künzel, Managing Partner at QUEST Investment Partners. The fashion store will occupy an area of some 2,400 m² across three floors. The opening is planned for spring 2019.
On the basement and ground floor, approximately 600 m² of additional space are earmarked for a restaurant concept. Office spaces ranging from 450 to 2,000 m² are available on the 2nd and 3rd floor.

In Bremen, AppelrathCüpper is opening its 16th store in Germany. Frank Rheinboldt, CEO of the fashion store founded in 1882, sees great potential in the Hanseatic city: “Bremen is the tenth largest city in Germany. According to population forecasts, it is set to grow by another three percent by 2030. Various real estate projects in Bremen will increase the city’s appeal and we are convinced that our new store will contribute to this and successfully complement the fashion range of the Hanseatic city.”

The real estate agency Comfort Hamburg acted as a consultant in the letting process.

About QUEST Investment Partners

QUEST Investment Partners is a real estate project development and investment company with offices in Hamburg and Berlin. QUEST focuses on investments in commercial and residential properties with upside potential in top locations in Hamburg and Berlin. For retail developments, the focus lies on good inner-city locations in German metropolitan regions. The QUEST team has extensive experience in the development of high-quality real estate projects and continuously aims at increasing the real estate values of its shareholders and investors. QUEST’s shareholders are the managing directors Theja Geyer and Jan Rouven Künzel as well as the investment holding company of the Hamburg entrepreneur Erck Rickmers who is invested in real estate, equity investments and shipping. www.quest-investment.com

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Hamburg, 18 January 2018. QUEST Investment Partners has acquired the Lenzhaus at Kurfürstenstraße 87 in Berlin from Barings Real Estate Advisers, making this its second acquisition in Berlin. After securing the first property on Brunnenstraße last autumn, QUEST’s Berlin project portfolio has thus been enriched by a prominent building with Berlin history.

With its eight storeys, the Lenzhaus, built in 1928-29 by the architect Heinrich Straumer, is considered one of the first office high-rises in Berlin. In addition to its history, the building also features a listed façade and a historical staircase. The Lenzhaus is named after its first owner and user, the construction group Lenz & Co. It has already been home to the Berlin Regional Finance Office (Oberfinanzdirektion), the Berlin Property Allocation Office (Vermögenszuordnungsstelle) and the Berlin Federal Property Department (Bundesvermögensabteilung), as well as the Berliner Volksbank until spring 2018.

Barings Real Estate Advisers had purchased the property in 2015 for an individual fund of a German pension scheme, with the aim of letting it after the Berliner Volksbank moves out. “Meanwhile, the tremendous development of the market and the location, which we ourselves are influencing through our neighbouring project development ‘The Westlight – Berlin’, has led to a similarly positive development of the property value, which we have now realised through the sale,” says Nick Puschkasch, Managing Director at Barings Real Estate Advisers and Director of the Berlin branch.

The approx. 5,000 m² of office space can be rented out as individual storeys or in their entirety to a single tenant. “We are pleased to see that our Berlin activities are making progress with the historically significant building that is Lenzhaus. With its attractive location and its potential for value creation, the property is a perfect match for our investment strategy,” says Jan-Rouven Künzel, Managing Partner at QUEST Investment Partners.

The consultancy firm Cushman & Wakefield acted as broker in the transaction; Greenberg Traurig Germany LLP acted as legal adviser to the buyer whilst King & Spalding provided legal counsel to the seller.

About QUEST Investment Partners

QUEST Investment Partners is a real estate project development and investment company with offices in Hamburg and Berlin. QUEST focuses on investments in commercial and residential properties with upside potential in top locations in Hamburg and Berlin. In retail developments the focus is on good inner-city locations in German metropolitan regions. The QUEST team has extensive experience in the development of high-quality real estate projects and continuously aims at increasing the real estate values of its shareholders and investors. QUEST’s shareholders are the managing directors Theja Geyer and Jan Rouven Künzel as well as the investment holding company of the Hamburg entrepreneur Erck Rickmers who is invested in real estate, equity investments and shipping. www.quest-investment.com

About Barings

Barings is a $300+ billion* global financial services firm dedicated to meeting the evolving investment and capital needs of our clients. We build lasting partnerships that leverage our distinctive expertise across traditional and alternative asset classes to deliver innovative solutions and exceptional service. Part of MassMutual, Barings maintains a strong global presence with over 1,800 professionals and offices in 16 countries. Learn more at www.barings.com

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Hamburg, 16 January 2018. For months now, the people of Hamburg have been witnessing the changes to the striking high-rise building at Willy-Brandt-Str. 23: Kallmorgen Tower, an office building constructed in 1968 for IBM and inspired by a Hollerith punch card, is currently being gutted and completely renovated by the real estate project development company QUEST Investment Partners. The tenant has now been determined: starting in mid-2018, SPACES will offer creative professionals, start-ups, project teams and freelancers modern workplaces, office and conference rooms, along with a range of other services in an inspiring atmosphere. With an area of around 7,500 m², Kallmorgen Tower will be one of the largest co-working centres in Germany and the largest centre operated by Regus in the country. The office sizes range from 15 to 450 m². “We see great potential in Hamburg, not least because the start-up scene is currently growing tremendously. The conference floor is located on the 16th floor and boasts spectacular views of Hamburg and the Elbphilharmonie. These premises can also be rented by third parties on an hourly basis,” says Daniel C. Grimm, Development Director Germany at SPACES operator Regus. Regus, the global market leader for flexible office solutions, operates around 3,300 business centres in 120 countries, 101 of them in Germany.

QUEST Investment Partners erwarb das von dem Hamburger Architekten Werner Kallmorgen entworfene siebzehn-geschossige Gebäude im Jahr 2016. Theja Geyer, geschäftsführender Gesellschafter von QUEST: „Kallmorgen war ein Vordenker. 1968 wirkte sein Bau geradezu futuristisch, heute ist er ein Klassiker. Spannend ist, dass sich die Zukunftsorientiertheit des Gebäudes nun mit der modernsten aller Büronutzungsformen wiederholt: dem Coworking-Center.“ Seit Anfang 2017 ist QUEST dabei, das denkmalgeschützte Haus durch aufwändige bauliche Maßnahmen wieder auf das ursprüngliche, von Kallmorgen konzipierte Fassadenkonzept zurückzuführen. Die Montage der neuen Außenfassade begann im September.

Interessierte Bürger und Architekturliebhaber erhalten auf einer eigens eingerichteten Website spannende Einblicke in den Baufortschritt. Zahlreiche Fotos dokumentieren die Fertigstellung der neuen und alten Hamburger Stilikone: http://www.kallmorgen-tower.de/

Bei der Vermietung waren BNP Paribas Real Estate vermittelnd, die Kanzlei Jebens Mensching beratend tätig.

About QUEST Investment Partners

QUEST Investment Partners is a real estate project development and investment company with offices in Hamburg and Berlin. QUEST focuses on investments in commercial and residential properties with upside potential in top locations in Hamburg and Berlin. In retail developments the focus is on good inner-city locations in German metropolitan regions. The QUEST team has extensive experience in the development of high-quality real estate projects and continuously aims at increasing the real estate values of its shareholders and investors. QUEST’s shareholders are the managing directors Theja Geyer and Jan Rouven Künzel as well as the investment holding company of the Hamburg entrepreneur Erck Rickmers who is invested in real estate, equity investments and shipping.

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Hamburg, 26 October 2017. At Cremon 1, the Hamburg project development company QUEST Investment Partners is constructing a new property with approximately 2,500 m² of space for offices and restaurants.

The area, which has been undeveloped since the 1960s, is located at the former harbour gate, where the development of the Port of Hamburg began in 1188. In consultation with the City of Hamburg and the Office for the Protection of Historical Monuments, and with the help of the architects gmp von Gerkan, Marg und Partner, the original state of the former harbour entrance to Hamburg’s inland port is to be restored. Cremon 1 is being developed as a counterpart to the Haus der Seefahrt on the opposite side. The height, proportions and materials of the new, high-end property blend in with the Haus der Seefahrt to visually revive the former harbour gate and pay tribute to the importance of this place.

“The property offers a fantastic view of Speicherstadt, the Elbphilharmonie and of course the River Elbe. We are witnessing strong demand for spaces in Hamburg’s harbour periphery, which will continue to develop positively in the coming years,” says Theja Geyer, Managing Partner at QUEST Investment Partners.

The works will commence in mid-2018 and are scheduled for completion in 2020.

About QUEST Investment Partners

QUEST Investment Partners is a real estate project development and investment company with offices in Hamburg and Berlin. QUEST focuses on investments in commercial and residential properties with upside potential in top locations in Hamburg and Berlin. In retail developments the focus is on good inner-city locations in German metropolitan regions. The QUEST team has extensive experience in the development of high-quality real estate projects and continuously aims at increasing the real estate values of its shareholders and investors. QUEST’s shareholders are the managing directors Theja Geyer and Jan Rouven Künzel as well as the investment holding company of the Hamburg entrepreneur Erck Rickmers who is invested in real estate, equity investments and shipping.

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Hamburg, 04 October 2017. Opened three months ago, the Berlin branch of the project development company QUEST Investment Partners is starting its operative business in Berlin. The first acquisition was a commercial property at Brunnenstraße 128 with approx. 6,000 m² of rental space. In addition, the company will be able to announce a further transaction at the turn of the year. “We are very pleased to have successfully entered the Berlin market with two properties just three months after opening our branch,” explains Jan Rouven Künzel, Managing Partner at QUEST.

The office building on Brunnenstraße allows us to re-let a large part of the space at short notice. The seven-storey building from the 1990s boasts large ceilings and light-flooded office spaces. Thanks to generous but efficient layouts and great flexibility in terms of usage, modern work environments can be created with open-plan areas and individual office structures. “The quality of this location has increased greatly in recent years. We are modernising the façade as well as the entrance and common areas, thus generating the potential for a creative development of the rental space that suits the neighbourhood,” emphasizes Arne Siemens, Manager at QUEST in Berlin.

The consulting firm Cushman & Wakefield acted as broker in the acquisition of the building.

About QUEST Investment Partners

QUEST Investment Partners is a real estate project development and investment company with offices in Hamburg and Berlin. QUEST focuses on investments in commercial and residential properties with upside potential in top locations in Hamburg and Berlin. In retail developments the focus is on good inner-city locations in German metropolitan regions. The QUEST team has extensive experience in the development of high-quality real estate projects and continuously aims at increasing the real estate values of its shareholders and investors. QUEST’s shareholders are the managing directors Theja Geyer and Jan Rouven Künzel as well as the investment holding company of the Hamburg entrepreneur Erck Rickmers who is invested in real estate, equity investments and shipping.

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• Core high-street property with a rental space of approximately 12,000 square metres in Bremen
• Joint acquisition with QUEST Investment Partners for the fund “Warburg-HIH Perspektive Einzelhandel: Fokus Geschäftshäuser”
• Internationally recognised and creditworthy anchor tenants at “Bremer Carrée” with long-term leases
• First capital commitments shortly after the launch of the special AIF “Warburg-HIH Perspektive Einzelhandel: Fokus Geschäftshäuser”

Hamburg/Bremen, 21 July 2017. In a joint venture with the project development company QUEST Investment Partners, the fund „Warburg-HIH Perspektive Einzelhandel: Fokus Geschäftshäuser” has acquired a commercial building in Bremen. The “Bremer Quarrée” features a total rental space of approximately 12,000 square metres in a prime location on Obernstraße in the city centre. Approximately 6,700 square metres of this space, which are almost fully rented out, were acquired by the retail fund. About 5,300 square metres were acquired by QUEST Investment Partners. The seller of this property is Allianz Real Estate Germany GmbH.

The special open AIF “Warburg-HIH Perspektive Einzelhandel: Fokus Geschäftshäuser”, launched by Warburg-HIH Invest Real Estate (Warburg-HIH Invest) in July 2017 with a planned investment volume of up to EUR 400 million, generated initial capital commitments within a short period of time and made a quick strategic start on the investment side with the acquisition of the “Bremer Quarrée”. “The ‘Bremer Carrée’ perfectly matches the criteria of the fund and offers our investors long-term yield stability,” explains Alexander Eggert, Managing Director at Warburg-HIH Invest, who is in charge of product, company and fund management.

The fund “Warburg-HIH Perspektive Einzelhandel: Fokus Geschäftshäuser” invests in fast-growing locations in Germany, including not only the top 7 cities but also major and medium-sized regional centres.
The investment strategy focuses on retail properties in the form of commercial buildings in highly frequented prime shopping locations in the city centre.

The retail fund aims to achieve a distribution yield of 3.5 to 4.5 percent p.a. (BVI).

“The ‘Bremer Carrée’, a striking five-storey retail property, is situated in the most highly frequented location of the entire city centre of Bremen. Its location at the corner and its free-standing character make the building highly visible and recognisable. The anchor tenants of this commercial building are the respective market-leading retail concepts H&M, with its Bremen flagship store, and Rossmann,” says Hans-Joachim Lehmann, Managing Director at Warburg-HIH Invest, who is responsible for transaction management in Germany.

QUEST Investment Partners sees considerable potential in the approximately 2,900 square metres of currently unlet retail space. “With a new concept, we want to give positive momentum to Bremen’s city centre. New labels can help raise the profile and strength of the entire location and building,” says Jan Rouven Künzel, Managing Partner at QUEST Investment Partners.

With around 550,000 inhabitants, Bremen is the tenth largest city in Germany. According to population forecasts, it is set to experience above-average growth of a further three percent by 2030. The hanseatic city is the major centre of the metropolitan region of Bremen/Oldenburg.

The building sections acquired by Warburg-HIH Invest at the address “Hanseatenhof 2, 4, 6″ were built in 1988 and modernised in 2014. The commercial building comprises approximately 6,700 square meters of rental space, of which around 76 percent are allocated to retailers and 24 percent to offices. A refurbishment is envisaged for the adjacent building section of 5,300 square metres, which was acquired by QUEST Investment Partners. In addition, the City of Bremen is planning a major district development and a number of new leases are to be signed in the pedestrian zone. These developments will further enhance the value of the location in the long term.

Warburg-HIH Invest was advised by the law firm Ashurst on legal and tax matters and by CP Hamburg on the technical purchase examination. The seller was advised on the transaction by JLL and CMS Stuttgart.

“The ‘Bremer Carrée’ perfectly matches the criteria of the fund and offers our investors long-term yield stability.”
Alexander Eggert, Managing Director for product, company and fund management at Warburg-HIH Invest Real Estate

“The ‘Bremer Carrée’, a striking five-storey retail property, is situated in the most highly frequented location of the entire city centre of Bremen. Its location at the corner and its free-standing character make the building highly visible and recognisable.

The anchor tenants of this commercial building are the respective market-leading retail concepts H&M, with its Bremen flagship store, and Rossmann.”
Hans-Joachim Lehmann, Managing Director for transaction management in Germany at Warburg-HIH Invest Real Estate.

“With a new concept, we want to give positive momentum to Bremen’s city centre. New labels can help raise the profile and strength of the entire location and building.”
Jan Rouven Künzel, Managing Partner at QUEST Investment Partners

About Warburg-HIH Invest

As a real estate investment manager, Warburg-HIH Invest Real Estate (Warburg-HIH Invest) offers the entire spectrum of national and international real estate investments for institutional investors. It is one of the leading managers of special real estate AIF in Germany. With real estate assets of around EUR 6.3 billion, it boasts a comprehensive track record in the planning and implementation of customised investment solutions. As a high-quality provider, Warburg-HIH Invest realises products and services with an added value. These high standards match the requirements of its shareholders HIH Real Estate and the private bank M.M.Warburg & Co., which was founded in 1798.

Further information can be found online: www.warburg-hih.com

About QUEST Investment Partners

QUEST Investment Partners is a real estate project development and investment company with offices in Hamburg and Berlin. QUEST focuses on investments in commercial and residential properties with upside potential in top locations in Hamburg and Berlin. In retail developments the focus is on good inner-city locations in German metropolitan regions. The QUEST team has extensive experience in the development of high-quality real estate projects and continuously aims at increasing the real estate values of its shareholders and investors. QUEST’s shareholders are the managing directors Theja Geyer and Jan Rouven Künzel as well as the investment holding company of the Hamburg entrepreneur Erck Rickmers who is invested in real estate, equity investments and shipping.

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Hamburg, 18 July 2017. The Hamburg-based real estate project development company QUEST Investment Partners has acquired the office and commercial building at Willy-Brandt-Straße 69. The central location near Rödingsmarkt is situated in the periphery of Hamburg’s harbour – an area that connects the city centre with HafenCity. The property overlooks the Elbphilharmonie and the buildings of the Cremon peninsula and is flanked by the historical Nikolaifleet at the back.

The rental space of approximately 4,687 m² is fully let, the main tenant being Holcim AG. Due to the continuing decrease of the vacancy rate, the pressure on rental prices within Wallring is steadily rising. This is why Willy-Brandt-Straße 69 is yet another place that boasts tremendous potential. “We are convinced that the positive development of the harbour periphery between the city centre and Speicherstadt will continue in the coming years and that we will be able to leverage the potential of this property in the long term,” states J. Rouven Künzel, Managing Partner at QUEST Investment Partners.

With the most recently acquired office building, the portfolio of QUEST Investment Partners now includes three properties along Hamburg’s Willy-Brandt-Straße.

The financing for this transaction was provided by pbb Deutsche Pfandbriefbank AG. The Hamburg-based investment team at Angermann acted as a broker for the acquisition of the building from the DWI Group.

About QUEST Investment Partners

QUEST Investment Partners is a real estate project development and investment company with offices in Hamburg and Berlin. QUEST focuses on investments in commercial and residential properties with upside potential in top locations in Hamburg and Berlin. In retail developments the focus is on good inner-city locations in German metropolitan regions. The QUEST team has extensive experience in the development of high-quality real estate projects and continuously aims at increasing the real estate values of its shareholders and investors. QUEST’s shareholders are the managing directors Theja Geyer and Jan Rouven Künzel as well as the investment holding company of the Hamburg entrepreneur Erck Rickmers who is invested in real estate, equity investments and shipping.

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Hamburg, 27 June 2017. The Hamburg-based project development and investment company Quest Investment Partners opened a new office in Berlin in mid-June 2017. The office on Friedrichstraße will be headed by Arne Siemens, who most recently served as project leader at Art-Investment Real Estate, overseeing the 30,000 m² shopping and office project on Alter Wall in Hamburg.

“Berlin’s rental market for office properties is developing in very dynamic ways. We anticipate opportunities for further projects and aim to develop high-end commercial properties in prime locations, just as we do in Hamburg,” states Jan Rouven Künzel, Managing Partner at Quest Investment Partners.

Arne Siemens has long-standing experience in project management. At Art-Invest Real Estate GmbH, he was in charge of numerous sales and acquisitions in addition to managing real estate development projects in Hamburg and Berlin. Arne Siemens studied international project management with a focus on real estate projects and started his career at ECE Projektmanagement GmbH in transaction management. Aged 30, he is responsible for new business, project development and management in Berlin, where he will be supported by a further employee.

Quest Investment Partners was founded in 2016 and has since developed seven projects in Hamburg, some of which are already being re-sold.

About QUEST Investment Partners

QUEST Investment Partners is a real estate project development and investment company with offices in Hamburg and Berlin. QUEST focuses on investments in commercial and residential properties with upside potential in top locations in Hamburg and Berlin. In retail developments the focus is on good inner-city locations in German metropolitan regions. The QUEST team has extensive experience in the development of high-quality real estate projects and continuously aims at increasing the real estate values of its shareholders and investors. QUEST’s shareholders are the managing directors Theja Geyer and Jan Rouven Künzel as well as the investment holding company of the Hamburg entrepreneur Erck Rickmers who is invested in real estate, equity investments and shipping.

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