JLL
CBRE
Alternative investments: kindergartens leave offices behind
A key topic in many discussions at the recent Expo REAL in Munich was the role that alternative real estate investments could play for more and more investors struggling to find new sources of yield. Read more
Messe München GmbH
Optimistic mood at Expo Real 2019
Year-end surge already under way: This is the first time that Expo Real has fallen right in the middle of the year-end transaction spurt, says Timo Tschammler (CEO JLL Germany). Expo is typically the curtain raiser for the busiest time of year but... Read more
LeadCrest Capital Partners
Sale-and-leasebacks: are they making a comeback?
Sale-and-leasebacks, once a staple of European real estate markets, seemed to have largely disappeared in recent years. Could they now be set to make a comeback? Read more
Messe München GmbH
Top picks: what topics will dominate at EXPO REAL this year?
Global politics, from the US-China trade war to the ongoing misery of Brexit, are likely to be on the agenda at EXPO REAL this year. REFIRE talked to industry experts to find out what other issues are likely to dominate the trade fair this time. Read more
© magann - Fotolia.com
Shortage of office space in Berlin keeps upward pressure on rents
As any company knows who’s been looking for office space for a sizeable amount of staff in Berlin, the market has tightened up drastically over the past two years. It’s now a very different story to how things were five years ago, where plenty of... Read more
Cushman & Wakefield @ Daft Media Limited
Which city lies between Darmstadt and Koblenz? Answer: Dublin
A recent study by Union Investment and BulwienGesa asked this question: for investors in student accommodation, which cities are most attractive? Read more
DRONEPICR - CC BY 2.0
Maldives expected to see highest ever hotel transaction activity in 2019 – and German investors want a slice of the pie
It has long been billed as a tropical paradise offering unparalleled sandy beaches, incredible diving and high-end cuisine but now the Maldives has caught the eye of cross-border investors, including German hospitality chains, who are on the hunt... Read more
© Kitty - Fotolia.com
German rents finally starting to slow
Rents for apartments in Germany are finally starting to slow after several years of sharp hikes, according to JLL, which will come as a welcome relief to many tenants in Germany, even if investors are unlikely to share their joy. Read more
© Tiberius Gracchus - Fotolia.com
Refinancing is on the up
Refinancing is on the up, according to JLL’s German Real Estate Finance Index (DIFI) for the second quarter, published this week. Read more
GALERIA Kaufhof GmbH
SIGNA takes full control of Galeria Karstadt Kaufhof from Hudson Bay Co. for $1.5bn
Austria’s Signa Group has taken control of German department store chain Galeria Karstadt Kaufhof from Canada’s Hudson Bay Company’s (HBC) by acquiring its 49.99% stake in the recently merged chain for $1.5b, HBC announced this month. Read more
ESTAVIS AG
Number of German first-time buyers continues to fall
The number of first time buyers is falling in Germany at a time when the average age of first time buyers is rising, according to a Housing Costs 2019 report published this month by residential privatization group Accentro... Read more
© dutchlight - Fotolia.com
More investors take on development risk
More and more investors are willing to take on development risk, with project developments and forward deals surging in popularity, according to JLL’s New Business Report: Real Estate Financing, Germany, published this month. Read more
Warburg-HIH Invest Real Estate GmbH
Warburg-HIH moves into value-add space
Warburg-HIH Invest Real Estate is setting up a new business unit with a view to investing €300m in German value-add offices/offices with rental upside by the end of the year, marking a change of direction for the group, which has traditionally... Read more
© timstieffenhofer - Fotolia.com
AEW completes €750m capital raise for Logistis, taking total net equity to €2.3bn
AEW has raised an additional €750m for its pan-European logistics fund, Logistis, bringing the fund’s total net equity to €2.3b, it announced this month. Read more
Wrangler - Fotolia / JLL / ZEW
DIFI Index remains in negative territory
JLL’s German Real Estate Finance Index (DIFI) is hovering below the zero mark at -9.7 points for the first quarter of the year, as the DIFI’s swerve into negative territory approaches the two year mark. Read more
© Netfalls - Fotolia.com
Niche segments thriving in hotel sector as yields compress further
As we reported back in November, the Latin American hotel chain is currently scouting locations for its concept hotels in Germany, which are targeted at the millennium and digital nomad generation. Read more
martingerz2/flickr, CC BY-SA
German government edges closer to new land tax law
The German government is in the final throes of agreeing on a new Grundsteuer, or land tax law, in a move that could end more than a year of political wrangling. Read more
© Kzenon - Fotolia.com
New retail investment start-up x+bricks approaches €300m in deals
Private German retail investment house x+Bricks has already added to its ambitious acquisition programme by buying a portfolio of 13 retail properties from an institutional investor, for a price of €80m. Read more
GALERIA Kaufhof GmbH
Arminius buys retailer Metro AG headquarters in Düsseldorf
The Frankfurt-based private equity group Arminius has bought retail group Metro AG’s headquarters just east of Düsseldorf for German institutional investors. The seller of the campus property, which is situated in the urban district of... Read more
© industrieblick - Fotolia.com
Pessimism grows among German lenders
German lenders are becoming increasingly pessimistic about the German market, as the German Real Estate Finance Index (DIFI), compiled by JLL and the Centre for European Economic Research (ZEW), falls to its lowest level in two years. Read more