(Hamburg) – Hines, the international real estate firm, has secured Alnatura, the best organic supermarket in Germany (Statista + Focus Money Survey, 2014), as a new tenant at Überseequartier Nord in Hamburg.
The letting will provide a new impetus in the dynamic center of the HafenCity, one of the largest city center development projects in Europe. The lease agreement for 8,611 square feet of retail space in the Virginia building has been signed for 10 years, with the new store scheduled to open in Spring 2017.
The organic trader originates from Bickenbach in Hesse and produces organic food products under the Alnatura brand. It operates over 100 of its own organic markets in Germany and places particular emphasis on sustainable store design and a pleasant shopping atmosphere. This is reflected in the store interiors, made from natural and recycled materials.
Christoph Reschke, senior managing director of Hines Immobilien GmbH, said “With Alnatura, we have gained an additional strong brand as a tenant for the Überseequartier, and are coming closer to our strategic goal of strengthening retail in the long term. We very much appreciate that Alnatura is as convinced of the great development potential of the new city quarter in Hamburg as we are.”
Alexander Link, divisional manager of Expansion and Real Estate at Alnatura, added, “We look forward to opening the seventh Alnatura Super Natur Markt in Hamburg early next year. We are guided by our customers’ wishes in selecting the location for our branches. In our future location in the Überseequartier in Hamburg’s HafenCity, we can offer people organic products right where they live, contributing to the further promotion of organic agriculture.”
The Überseequartier Nord is situated in the heart of Hamburg’s HafenCity, one of the largest city-center development projects in Europe. The ensemble of buildings captivates with its modern architecture and its promenade — the Überseeboulevard with its trendy shops, cafés, bars, restaurants and fresh produce markets. High-profile events take place here on a regular basis. Art, sports, cultural events and live concerts offer a wide range of entertainment.
The five mixed-use properties in the quarter — Arabica, Ceylon, Java, Pacamara and Virginia — were built between 2009 and 2010. Of the approximately 581,251 square feet of total rental space, around 283,090 square feet consist of 262 high-quality rental apartments, about 103,333 square feet of office space on long-term leases, 86,541 square feet of retail and restaurant space, and 73,194 square feet occupied by the 25hours Hotel HafenCity.
At the beginning of 2015, Hines took over the northern Überseequartier for a specialized German real estate fund from the consortium consisting of Propertize B.V. and Gross & Partner. Hines was advised in the acquisition of Alnatura by Pöllath + Partners.
Since the opening of the German office in 1991, via Hines Immobilien GmbH, Hines has acquired or developed 37 properties representing approximately 1.6 million square meters for Hines or third parties, including high-profile properties such as Maintower and Silberturm in Frankfurt, Sony Center and Wohnpark Südkreuz in Berlin, Hofstatt, Uptown München and OSKAR in Munich, Überseequartier Nord in Hamburg, Benrather Karree and Kö-Quartier in Dusseldorf as well as Postquartier and Kronprinzbau 1+2 in Stuttgart. In Germany, Hines Immobilien GmbH currently manages real estate assets with a total value of approximately 3.5 billion Euros as an asset or development manager.
Hines is a privately owned global real estate investment firm founded in 1957 with a presence in 192 cities in 20 countries. Hines has $93.2 billion of assets under management, including $47.9 billion for which Hines provides fiduciary investment management services, and $45.3 billion for which Hines provides third-party property-level services. The firm has 105 developments currently underway around the world. Historically, Hines has developed, redeveloped or acquired 1,180 properties, totaling over 379 million square feet. The firm’s current property and asset management portfolio includes 483 properties, representing over 199 million square feet. With extensive experience in investments across the risk spectrum and all property types, and a pioneering commitment to sustainability, Hines is one of the largest and most-respected real estate organizations in the world. Visit www.hines.com for more information.
Alnatura is Germany’s most popular grocery brand (Brandmeyer Study, 2014). The company was conceived and created 35 years ago by Götz Rehn. He founded Alnatura in 1984 and remains its managing director and sole shareholder today. There are currently 107 Alnatura Super Natur Markts in 51 cities in 11 federal states in Germany. Around 1,280 different organic food products are produced under the Alnatura brand. These are sold in Alnatura’s own Super Natur Markts, in 12,350 branches of various business partners within Germany and abroad, and via the Alnatura Online Shop. Alnatura currently employs 2,560 people, including 170 apprentices. In fiscal year 2014/2015, Alnatura generated a turnover of 760 million Euros and thus an increase of 10 percent compared to the previous year. You can find further information at www.alnatura.de