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Hamburg, 2 February 2022 – The real estate investment company QUEST Investment Partners is expanding its management team, with Luis Walther-Kraft (31) appointed Managing Director as of 1 February 2022. He is assuming the newly created position of Chief Investment Officer (CIO) at QUEST Development and will thus be in charge of the entire investment division along with acquisitions and sales at the company’s four branches in Hamburg, Frankfurt, Berlin and Munich. In addition, he will be responsible for the strategic development of the company as well as business development.
Walther-Kraft joined QUEST as Investment Manager in June 2018. Most recently, he headed up Transactions & Partnering and was responsible for joint venture partners in addition to transactions. Together with the commercial Managing Director Dr Ricardo Alvarez, the technical Managing Director Ulrich Rössing and the two Managing Partners Theja Geyer and Jan Rouven Künzel, Walther-Kraft will be overseeing the further expansion of the project development and investment business in the future.

“Luis Walther-Kraft has been instrumental in establishing the acquisitions and sales division over the past years and has contributed significantly to the successful growth of QUEST Investment Partners. We look forward to the new momentum he will bring to our future development and are pleased to have found the ideal internal candidate for this new position”, says Jan Rouven Künzel, Managing Partner at QUEST Investment Partners.

Before joining QUEST, Luis Walther-Kraft worked at GLL Real Estate Partners – now Mira Real Estate – in Munich and Paris on the purchase and sale of real estate in the pan-European sector. He was involved in transactions amounting to 500 million euros. A real estate expert, he completed a Master of Science in Real Estate at the IREBS International Real Estate Business School in Regensburg and at Henley Business School in Reading, UK.

About QUEST Investment Partners
QUEST Investment Partners is an owner-operated real estate investment company. Its offices are located in Hamburg, Berlin, Munich and Frankfurt. With a portfolio of around €3.4 billion in assets under management, the company focuses on investments in commercial properties with upside potential in selected locations of major German cities. QUEST Development develops and finances high-quality real estate projects both independently and in cooperation with co-investors. The sister company QUEST Funds is responsible for the fund business and makes individual investments together with institutional investors. QUEST is also engaged in property management through its majority share in Albrecht Gebrüder & Co.

Luis-Walther Kraft, CIO QUEST Investment Partners
Copyright: Sebastian Vollmert

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Hamburg, Frankfurt, 18 January 2022. Good news for all sushi lovers in Frankfurt: the Frankfurt team of GO by Steffen Henssler has moved into Düsseldorfer Straße 1-7 right next to the central station. The investment and project development company QUEST Investment Partners has let around 500 m2 of the 1,750 m2 of retail space at the historic office and commercial property Hotel Hohenzollern Office to the team of the successful celebrity chef. The Japanese delicacies will be delivered to offices and private homes from here. Since December 2021, the sushi & sashimi specialities have been available for delivery. An exclusive sushi restaurant with around 80 seats is set to open its doors at the end of February.

Other retailers at the office and commercial building Hotel Hohenzollern include a kiosk, a bar, a café and Eating at Maples, a shop selling only certified organic products. This means that the building’s retail space on the ground floor is almost fully let, except for one unit measuring 80 m2. One third of the modernised office space comprising 5,400 m2 is still to be let.

Working at a hotel
The magnificent building, constructed in 1910 as a hotel, is located right next to Frankfurt’s central station, in the heart of the city. QUEST spent a good year refurbishing the distinctive historic elements of the façade in accordance with monument preservation standards. The works were completed at the end of 2021. The luminous office spaces have been renovated to a high standard and equipped with modern infrastructure, offering flexible usage options. The ambience is hospitable, open and luxurious, just as the architects of the former hotel intended.

Colliers International Germany acted as broker in the letting arrangement with GO by Steffen Henssler.

About QUEST Investment Partners
QUEST Investment Partners is an owner-operated real estate investment company founded in 2016. Its offices are located in Hamburg, Berlin, Munich and Frankfurt. With a portfolio of around €3.4 billion in assets under management, the company focuses on investments in commercial properties with upside potential in selected locations of major German cities. QUEST Development develops and finances high-quality real estate projects both independently and in cooperation with co-investors. The sister company QUEST Funds is responsible for the fund business and makes individual investments together with institutional investors. QUEST is also engaged in property management through its majority share in Albrecht Gebrüder & Co.

A magnificent building from 1910: the office and commercial property Hotel Hohenzollern Office
Copyright: QUEST Investment Partners/beyond visual arts GmbH

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Hamburg, Frankfurt, 11 January 2022 – The investment and project development company QUEST Investment Partners has appointed Tanja Gröger (43) to the position of Branch Manager for its growing office in Frankfurt. Since December 2021, she has been leading the QUEST Development team that is currently working on five projects in the metropolis on the River Main.

Tanja Gröger joins QUEST from the global investment management company Invesco Real Estate, where she was in charge of project developments in Germany, the Netherlands and Austria in her role as Director Asset Management. In addition, she also served as co-lead of the European ESG team. Prior to this, the real estate economist (IREBS) worked for LBBW Immobilien in Munich and Frankfurt for more than ten years. Her responsibilities here included the project management of Munich’s inner-city district development “Hofstatt” as well as the repositioning, letting and sale of office properties. Additionally, she oversaw the acquisition of commercial properties and portfolios throughout Germany, both for the company’s own portfolio and for the fund companies and set up a transaction team in Frankfurt during this time. She also holds experience in the banking business. After training at a bank, she worked in corporate client consulting for several years, where she structured real estate financing, among other things.

“I look forward to exciting projects in Frankfurt such as the new “Kreisler” building on Baseler Straße and the modernisation of the former “Bahn-Pyramide” property on Stephensonstraße. Repositioning this architectural icon with a size of over 50,000 m2 and turning it into a modern multi-tenant property is just as fascinating as accompanying the construction of Nestlé’s new German headquarters with its organic shapes”, says Tanja Gröger. QUEST opened the office in Frankfurt in February 2020.

About QUEST Investment Partners
QUEST Investment Partners is an owner-operated real estate investment company founded in 2016. Its offices are located in Hamburg, Berlin, Munich and Frankfurt. With a portfolio of around €3.4 billion in assets under management, the company focuses on investments in commercial properties with upside potential in selected locations of major German cities. QUEST Development develops and finances high-quality real estate projects both independently and in cooperation with co-investors. The sister company QUEST Funds is responsible for the fund business and makes individual investments together with institutional investors. QUEST is also engaged in property management through its majority share in Albrecht Gebrüder & Co.

Tanja Gröger, Branch Manager at QUEST’s Frankfurt office
Copyright: Roland Schmid

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• Office property The Graph with 7,484 m2 of rental space extends BVK fund
• QUEST Funds to act as asset manager, Universal-Investment as fund manager
• With its modern façade, The Graph adds a distinctive touch to Berlin’s Zeitungsviertel district

Hamburg/Berlin, 22 December 2021. The investment and project development company QUEST Investment Partners has sold the Berlin office property The Graph, built in 1999, to a fund of Bayerische Versorgungskammer (BVK). The building at Markgrafenstraße 62/63 comprises 7,484 m2 of rental space and 42 underground parking spaces. It is located in Berlin’s Zeitungsviertel district, in the immediate vicinity of Checkpoint Charlie. With The Graph, the “Urban Office RE” portfolio now consists of five properties, amounting to a total of around 32,400 m2. The portfolio is part of a fund managed by Universal-Investment for Bayerische Versorgungskammer, with QUEST Funds acting as the initiator and asset manager. In April 2021, QUEST Funds and Universal-Investment had taken over the initial portfolio comprising 25,000 m2 with four inner-city office buildings in Berlin, Hamburg, Frankfurt and Munich.

“We are planning an innovative and uniform façade for the property, which was only built in 1999 and is characterised by its excellent construction quality”, says Jan Rouven Künzel, Managing Partner at QUEST Investment Partners. In addition to a striking façade, the nine-storey building is also to receive a representative two-storey lobby as part of the refurbishment plan. QUEST Investment Partners had acquired the property in December 2020 and will carry out the refurbishment as general contractor after the sale.

“We are pleased to add another property with strong upside potential and a unique location to the fund managed for BVK”, says Roland Holschuh, Managing Partner at QUEST Funds GmbH, which acts as investment and asset manager.

The buyer received legal advice from Pinsent Masons, tax advice from EY Tax, technical advice from x. project and commercial advice from EY Real Estate. Hansa Partner Rommel & Meyer provided tax advice to the seller during the transaction; Jebens Mensching acted as legal advisor.

The Graph at Markgrafenstraße 62 in Berlin
Copyright: Hans Glave

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Hamburg, 11 November 2021 – The investment and project development company QUEST Investment Partners has acquired the commercial and residential building Friedrich-Ebert-Anlage 54 in Frankfurt am Main from MEAG as part of an asset deal. MEAG is the asset manager of Munich Re and ERGO. Built in 2002, the property enjoys an excellent location between the Central Business District and the sought-after Westend area and comprises some 3,800 m2 of lettable office space. The building includes 29 underground parking spaces. When the current main tenant moves out in July 2022, QUEST intends to give this building with its striking architecture a visual upgrade and to reposition the office spaces. The layout allows for flexible use, with 570 m2 per floor. Be it as a multi-tenant or single- tenant property: the spaces are suitable for individual, double or open-plan offices.

“The property blends into the course of the road like a triangle and offers not only a fascinating architecture and a superb location but also an exquisite view of Frankfurt’s skyline, the park opposite and the trade fair grounds. It is a perfect match for our Frankfurt portfolio with extraordinary properties such as the former “office pyramid” building of Deutsche Bahn, Hotel Hohenzollern at the central station and the new Kreisler building”, explains Luis Walther- Kraft, Head of Transactions & Partnering at QUEST Investment Partners.

“As an asset manager for insurance companies, we focus our capital investments on properties of excellent quality in prime locations. This allows us to make good use of our options at any time. We congratulate QUEST Investment Partners on a unique property with great potential. We would like to thank them for the excellent cooperation and wish the new owners lots of success for the future”, comments Katrin Hupfauer, Head of Real Estate Transactions at MEAG.

Due to its central location, the property is optimally connected to all transport routes: the U-Bahn stop “Messe” is only a one-minute walk away, the international airport can be reached in ten minutes and the central station in three minutes by car.

BNP Paribas Real Estate conducted a structured bidding process, acting as broker on behalf of MEAG. QUEST Investment Partners was advised by SNP Schlawien on legal matters, by HANSA Partner Rommel & Meyer on tax matters and by Bohnzirlewagen on technical matters.

About QUEST Investment Partners
QUEST Investment Partners is an owner-operated real estate investment company founded in 2016. Its offices are located in Hamburg, Berlin, Munich and Frankfurt. With a portfolio of around €3.8 billion in assets under management, the company focuses on investments in commercial properties with upside potential in selected locations of major German cities. QUEST Development develops and finances high-quality real estate projects both independently and in cooperation with co-investors. The sister company QUEST Funds is responsible for the fund business and makes individual investments together with institutional investors. QUEST is also engaged in property management through its majority share in Albrecht Gebrüder & Co. For further information please visit www.quest-investment.com

About MEAG
MEAG is the asset manager of Munich Re and ERGO. With offices in Europe, Asia and North America it also offers its extensive know-how to institutional investors and private clients from outside Munich Re Group. MEAG currently manages assets to the value of around €330 billion, €65 billion of which for institutional investors and private clients from outside the company group.

Copyright: Manuel Debus

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Hamburg, 09 November 2021. The investment and project development company QUEST Investment Partners has sold the mixed-use property “Echt Wedding” at Müllerstraße 151 in Berlin’s Mitte district as part of a share deal to a private investor. The property comprises over 7,000 m² of rental space and dates back to around 1900. It was acquired by QUEST in the spring of 2020. The six-storey property features a prestigious red brick façade with white bay windows and balconies. The parties agreed not to disclose the purchase price.

“This well-preserved multi-tenant building is located on the main shopping street in Berlin Wedding – a neighbourhood in the district of Berlin Mitte – and offers great upside potential”, says Luis Walther-Kraft, Head of Transactions & Partnering at QUEST Investment Partners.

Its popular location next to Leopoldplatz offers excellent local public transport connections as well as an abundance of cafés and restaurants.

Angermann carried out the off-market transaction. QUEST was advised on legal matters by Clifford Chance and on tax matters by Hansa Partner Rommel & Meyer.

Über QUEST Investment Partners

QUEST Investment Partners is an owner-operated real estate investment company founded in 2016. Its offices are located in Hamburg, Berlin, Munich and Frankfurt. With a portfolio of around €3.4 billion in assets under management, the company focuses on investments in commercial properties with upside potential in selected locations of major German cities. QUEST Development develops and finances high-quality real estate projects both independently and in cooperation with co-investors. The sister company QUEST Funds is responsible for the fund business and makes individual investments together with institutional investors. QUEST is also engaged in property management through its majority share in Albrecht Gebrüder & Co. For further information please visit www.quest-investment.com

Hamburg, 29 October 2021. The investment and project development company QUEST Investment Partners has acquired an office and commercial building with around 3,400 m2 of rental space on one of Munich’s most popular boulevards. The property at Leopoldstraße 7 in Munich was sold as part of an asset deal. The seller is Catella Real Estate AG, acting on behalf of the open-ended real estate fund Catella MAX. The parties agreed not to disclose the purchase price. The property was built in 1982 and is located on the border of the districts of Maxvorstadt and Schwabing. On the ground floor, it accommodates the Italian restaurant Bar Giornale, which is well-known throughout the city.

“We are delighted to have acquired this trophy asset with a view of the Siegestor gate in the fashionable Schwabing district. The property allows for a complete redevelopment, including the addition of new storeys and the redesign of the façade. With our refurbishment, we will once again demonstrate how we can carry buildings into the future with innovative concepts”, says Jan Rouven Künzel, Managing Partner at QUEST Investment Partners.

The property in the immediate vicinity of the Siegestor gate has received a positive building notification to increase the rental space to about 4,000 m2 and to modernise the building. In a competition for ideas, the Munich architects at Allmann Sattler Wappner came out as winners. Their design envisages the dismantling of the current roof and storage floors of the detached corner building and the construction of two new stacked floors with flat roofs and terrace areas on the 5th and 6th floors.

The building is located in the immediate vicinity of Munich’s universities, major attractions, the English Garden and culinary highlights. Munich’s city centre can be reached on foot.

Cushman & Wakefield conducted the structured bidding process on behalf of the seller. QUEST received legal advice from Jebens Mensching, tax advice from Hansa Partner Rommel & Meyer and technical advice from Bohnzirlewagen. The sellers received legal and tax advice from DLA Piper and technical advice from Arcadis.

Über QUEST Investment Partners

QUEST Investment Partners is an owner-operated real estate investment company founded in 2016. Its offices are located in Hamburg, Berlin, Munich and Frankfurt. With a portfolio of around €3.4 billion in assets under management, the company focuses on investments in commercial properties with upside potential in selected locations of major German cities. QUEST Development develops and finances high- quality real estate projects both independently and in cooperation with co-investors. The sister company QUEST Funds is responsible for the fund business and makes individual investments together with institutional investors. QUEST is also engaged in property management through its majority share in Albrecht Gebrüder & Co.

Hamburg, 27 October 2021. The investment and project development company QUEST Investment Partners has acquired the office and commercial building at Steindamm 72-86 in an off market transaction. The building comprises 14,100 m2 of rental space and 144 car parking spaces. The seller is a joint venture between the London-based investment manager Tristan Capital Partners and the German real estate company Investa Real Estate. The parties agreed not to disclose the purchase price.
Built in 1973, the eleven-storey property received a complete refurbishment and an energy efficiency upgrade in 2014 and 2019. It is located in Hamburg’s St. Georg district, next to the 12,750 m2 office building Steindamm 94, which is also part of the QUEST portfolio.

“We are very convinced by the central location of this building within the public transportation network. Furthermore, we see this fully let office-asset as a strategic, long-term investment, which will profit from a significant increase of the neighborhood”, explains Luis Walther-Kraft, Head of Transactions & Partnering at QUEST Investment Partners. The main tenants at Steindamm 72-86 are the City of Hamburg and EOS.

Thanks to its central location, the building offers optimal public transport connections: Hamburg’s central station can be reached on foot in just a few minutes, and bus and underground stations are right around the corner.

BNP Paribas Real Estate carried out the transaction process. QUEST received legal advice from Capstone Legal and Huth Dietrich Hahn, tax advice from Hansa Partner Rommel & Meyer, and technical advice from Bohnzirlewagen. Poellath provided legal and tax advice to the sellers.

Über QUEST Investment Partners

QUEST Investment Partners is an owner-operated real estate investment company founded in 2016. Its offices are located in Hamburg, Berlin, Munich and Frankfurt. With a portfolio of around €3.4 billion in assets under management, the company focuses on investments in commercial properties with upside potential in selected locations of major German cities. QUEST Development develops and finances high- quality real estate projects both independently and in cooperation with co-investors. The sister company QUEST Funds is responsible for the fund business and makes individual investments together with institutional investors. QUEST is also engaged in property management through its majority share in Albrecht Gebrüder & Co.

About QUEST Investment Partners