Frank Netzband

Hamburg, 11 May 2017. QUEST Investment Partners has sold the Elbhof in Hamburg, which it acquired only recently. After the existing tenant Serviceplan signed a new ten-year lease for the space measuring 7,150 m² in December 2016, the QUEST team was recently able to secure its exit from this investment. The buyer is a foreign family office that was advised by ALBRECHT GEBRÜDER & Co. in its acquisition. The parties agreed not to disclose the purchase price.

In September this year, the tenant is scheduled to move into the previously vacant space in the rear section of the building, the former warehouse of approx. 3,000 m². QUEST will carry out the project management required for this and will hand over the property in turnkey condition. The handover of the property to the buyer is planned for the end of the third quarter of 2017.

“We are pleased to have been able to fully lease the property so soon after purchase and to have already found a buyer who recognises the potential of this downtown location on the harbour front between the city centre and HafenCity as much as we do. Over the coming months, the Elbhof will be refurbished and returned to the outstanding Kontorhaus it once was. In this unique atmosphere, the advertising agency Serviceplan will be using the entire building for the Serviceplan concept “Haus der Kommunikation” (House of Communication). This illustrates the versatility of the building and ensures a stable long-term cash flow for the buyer. We have hence implemented our strategy of developing a stable long-term core product at the end of every project,” says Theja Geyer, Managing Partner at QUEST Investment Partners.

About QUEST Investment Partners

QUEST Investment Partners is a real estate project development and investment company with offices in Hamburg. 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, 16 February 2017. QUEST Investment Partners has concluded a new rental agreement for the Elbhof property at Steinhöft 9 in Hamburg, which it recently acquired. The tenant is the Serviceplan Group in Hamburg. Instead of the previous partial rental space of 55 percent, the new ten-year lease now comprises the entire office space available at Elbhof, amounting to some 7,150 m².

With its concept “Haus der Kommunikation” (House of Communication), the Serviceplan Group secures its expansion at the existing location and will be able to consolidate even more core functions in Hamburg. In September this year, the company plans to move into the currently vacant space in the rear section of the building, the former warehouse of approx. 3,000 m².
“We are pleased to have been able to rent out the vacant spaces at Elbhof just after acquiring it and to support our existing tenant in their expansion. In doing so, we were able to secure a long-term cash flow for our project in a very short period of time, thus fulfilling our business plan and confirming our investment strategy. In these excellent locations in Hamburg, there continues to be considerable demand for high-end office spaces,” explains Theja Geyer, Managing Partner at QUEST Investment Partners.
Thomas Wallek, Director at Haus der Kommunikation, highlights: “We are very happy about this decision and are pleased about the new ten-year lease, which will allow us to grow in the long term and thus secure the location for the future. The Elbhof is a listed building with a very distinctive charm – right in the heart of Hamburg, between the harbour and the city centre, and with the Elbphilharmonie as its prominent neighbour. Against this backdrop, the Elbhof offers us a tasteful location that has its finger on the pulse of time and provides enough space and air to successfully pursue our vision of turning brands into ‘best brands’.”

About QUEST Investment Partners

QUEST Investment Partners is a real estate project development, management and investment company with offices in Hamburg. 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.

About the Serviceplan Group

The Serviceplan Group is Europe’s largest owner-managed and partner-operated agency group with the widest range of services. Founded in 1970 as a traditional advertising agency, Serviceplan quickly developed the concept “Haus der Kommunikation” (“House of Communication”) – the only agency model in Germany to date that is completely integrated and unites all communication disciplines under one roof: be it brand strategists, creative, design, media or online specialists, dialogue or CRM experts, market researchers, PR consultants or sales professionals – at Serviceplan they all join forces, in more than 35 locations worldwide.

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Hamburg, 10 November 2016. Quest Investment Partners has embarked on a journey towards new beginnings.

About Quest Investment Partners

QUEST Investment Partners is a real estate project development, management and investment company with offices in Hamburg. 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.

Hamburg, 08 November 2016. QUEST Investment Partners has acquired the listed “Elbhof” property on Steinhöft 9. It counts among Hamburg’s sought-after “Kontorhaus” buildings and is located in the rapidly evolving harbour periphery between the city centre and Speicherstadt – just like the last two investments of the newly founded project developer.

The building was constructed between 1904 and 1905 for AEG based on plans by the architect Walter Martens. The central location close to Baumwall in Hamburg’s Neustadt district is surrounded by water: To the front, a lock system separates Elbfleet from Alsterfleet. To the rear, the Elbhof is flanked by Herrengrabenfleet. Views of the Elbphilharmonie Concert Hall and Speicherstadt are included.

With its structure of a front building, a courtyard wing and a warehouse on the canal, the Elbhof follows the traditional pattern of an old Hamburg merchant’s house. The building satisfies the most prestigious demands – featuring an opulent staircase and a façade with bronze sculptures by the sculptor Arthur Bock above the entrance portals, crowned with Hamburg’s coat of arms.

Another interesting aspect for the developer is the upcoming completion of the flood protection system for the Port of Hamburg in the immediate vicinity. Designed by the recently deceased star architect Zaha Hadid, it leads up to an impressive staircase right on the doorstep of the Elbhof. “Flood protection and recreational value do not have to be mutually exclusive” – this is what the architect wanted to prove with her design.

The building features some 7,770 m² of rental space; 55 percent of this space has been rented out to the Hamburg branch of the advertising agency Serviceplan on a long-term basis. The former warehouse, which is currently vacant, will be put to a new use by QUEST Investment Partners.

About QUEST Investment Partners

QUEST Investment Partners is a real estate project development and investment company situated in Hamburg. QUEST focuses on investments in commercial and residential properties with upside potential in top locations of major German cities. 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, 08 September 2016. QUEST Investment Partners, a recently founded project development company based in Hamburg, has acquired two office properties in the heart of Hamburg with a total rental space of around 15,000 square metres.

One of the properties is the former IBM high-rise with 17 storeys on Willy-Brandt-Straße 23. Designed by Werner Kallmorgen in 1960, this listed building is to be modernised, repositioned and rented out. The alteration works will take around one and a half years and are scheduled to start in spring 2017. The building features around 7,500 m² of rental space.
“This building is a modern classic. Like hardly any other building in Hamburg, its architecture reflects the spirit of post-war modernism inspired by the American metropolises. The black glass façade with its striking punch card pattern will soon be modernised – it is a true architectural icon from the 1960s with particularly unique qualities,” says Theja Geyer, Managing Partner at QUEST Investment Partners.

In addition, QUEST Investment Partners acquired a fully let office and commercial building on Willy-Brandt-Straße 75 from a joint venture between Castlelake and the Becken Group. At the beginning of the 20th century, the renowned Kontorhaus architect Georg Radel designed the original Kontorhaus on Rödingsmarkt, parts of which still exist today. In 1998, it was elaborately encased in an eight-storey office building for a Hamburg bank. The property features approximately 7,690 m² of rental space. Due to the high quality of this property and its efficient building structure, the ensemble is to be revitalised and converted into a modern office building after the tenant moves out. Its most salient characteristics are its timeless architecture and its excellent location on Rödingsmarkt.

About QUEST Investment Partners

QUEST Investment Partners is a real estate project development and investment company situated in Hamburg. QUEST focuses on investments in commercial and residential properties with upside potential in top locations of major German cities. 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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The former partners at Art-Invest Real Estate, Jan Rouven Künzel and Theja Geyer, founded QUEST Investment Partners. The company is headquartered in Hamburg, its main investor being the Hamburg entrepreneur Erck Rickmers.

Hamburg, 09 August 2016. Launching their own business, Jan Rouven Künzel and Theja Geyer will jointly pursue what they have been successful at for 12 years: developing high-end real estate projects in prime locations. The well-known Hamburg entrepreneur Erck Rickmers was brought on board as shareholder and investor for the foundation of their new Hamburg-based company, Quest Investment Partners. Erck Rickmers is the founder and owner of the E.R.Group, which operates in the shipping, real estate and private equity sectors.

As a project developer and property manager in the German-speaking region, QUEST Investment Partners aims to continuously increase the property values of its shareholders. The company acts as an investment platform for private and institutional investors. Until the end of July, Künzel and Geyer were members of the management team and partners at Art-Invest Real Estate, heading up the Hamburg office. Their last major project was the conversion of Hamburg’s Alter Wall into a shopping and office complex featuring a new boulevard, an underground car park and a footbridge. In agreement with Art-Invest Real Estate, Künzel and Geyer are leaving this successful project in order to embark on their own path of self-employment.

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