LaSalle acquires KONTOR office building in Berlin for LaSalle E-REGI

Long-term leased asset for the open-ended pan-European real estate fund LaSalle E-REGI KONTOR is part of the development project “Wirtschaftswunder” in central location

LaSalle has acquired the KONTOR office building in Berlin on behalf of LaSalle E-REGI. The seller is PW Real Estate Fund III, a real estate fund affiliated with Aermont Capital.

KONTOR is centrally located in Berlin-Schöneberg between Potsdamer Platz and City West and is leased on a long-term basis to the agricultural seed producer KWS. The building is part of the commercial ensemble “Im Wirtschaftswunder” by Aermont Capital in collaboration with Pecan Development. The building offers almost 10,000m² of leasable space over seven floors and two roof terraces. The KONTOR is currently undergoing fundamental renovation with completion scheduled for the end of 2019. After the renovation, all rented spaces will meet industry standards for high-quality building technology.

“Im Wirtschaftswunder” is being created as construction and revitalization project with c. 33,000 sqm leasable space at the former Commerzbank property at Potsdamer Straße. In addition to KONTOR the ensemble comprises also FORUM and the new building ZENTRALE, which shall function as the new German headquarters of Sony Music Entertainment.

The Berlin office market is the fastest developing office market in Germany. It has grown by more than 15 per cent since 2012. The demand for such properties is robust and is expected to further develop positively in the coming years. The vacancy rate has been declining for at least a decade and is currently at an all-time low of 1.4 per cent.

Uwe Rempis, Fund Manager of LaSalle E-REGI, says: “The Berlin office market is likely to remain friendly to long-term investors. Despite intensive construction and development activity, the total number of space is predicted to rise by 2 per cent in 2019 alone and we see no signs of easing. Therefore, we also expect a positive development in rental income for our investors. The property thus fits perfectly into our strategy, which focuses on investments in core locations in major European cities and capitals”.

LaSalle E-REGI is an open-ended pan-European real estate fund that aims to generate stable income return from a diversified core portfolio (office, retail, logistics) in transparent markets. The investment strategy is based on a quantitative model, the European Regional Economic Growth Index (E-REGI), which has been developed by LaSalle since 1999 and identifies the cities and regions across Europe that have the greatest economic growth potential over the short to medium term. The Fund also includes additional screening filters such as JLL`s Global Real Estate Transparency Index and minimum market size.

LaSalle was advised by Mayer Brown LLP (legal); Gleeds (Technical); Howden (insurance broker); Liberty (Insurance for W&I); Knight Frank (valuation) and Savills (buy-side). Aermont and Pecan were advised by Greenberg Traurig Germany LLP. BNP and Colliers have acted as transaction brokers in the process.

About LaSalle Investment Management

LaSalle Investment Management is one of the world’s leading real estate investment managers. On a global basis, we manage approximately $77 billion of assets in private equity, debt and public real estate investments as of Q4 2021. The firm sponsors a complete range of investment vehicles including open- and closed-end funds, separate accounts and indirect investments. Our diverse client base includes public and private pension funds, insurance companies, governments, corporations, endowments and private individuals from across the globe. For more information please visit www.lasalle.com and LinkedIn.

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