A guide to investing in Germany - JLL

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A guide to investing in Germany - JLL
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M u n i ch
             A guide to investing
Stuttgart           in Germany
A guide to investing in Germany - JLL
Saudharkrokur
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A guide to investing in Germany                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Introduction | 3

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Introduction
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investing in germany
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         Germany is one of the largest Investment Markets in Europe, with an average commercial                                                                                                                    UNITED KINGDOM

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                                                                                                         M u n i ch
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                     AMSTERDAM
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                 BERLIN                                                                                                       KIEV

transaction volume of more than €25 bn (2007-2012). It is a safe haven for global capital and
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                       NETHERLANDS                                                                                         POLAND
                                                                                                                                                                                                                       LONDON

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                           DÜSSELDORF

offers investors a stable financial, political and legal environment that is highly attractive to both
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      BRUSSELS
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            COLOGNE                                                                                                                                       UKRAINE
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          BELGIUM

                                                                                                         S t u t t g a r t
domestic and international groups.
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                             PRAGUE
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  FRANKFURT
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                         LUXEMBOURG                                                         CZECH REPUBLIC

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                             PARIS                                                                                                      SLOVAKIA

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    STUTTGART                                            BRATISLAVA

This brochure provides an introduction to investing in German real estate. Jones Lang LaSalle                                                                                                                                       FRANCE
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  MUNICH
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          AUSTRIA
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      VIENNA
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                             BUDAPEST

has 40 years experience in Germany and today has ten offices covering all of the major German
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            HUNGARY
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                           BERN                                                                                                            ROMANIA
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            SWITZERLAND

markets. Our full-service real estate offering is unrivalled in Germany and we look forward to
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          SLOVENIA
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          LJUBLJANA       CROATIA                                                             BUCHAREST

sharing our in-depth market knowledge with you.
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                ZAGREB
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        BELGRADE
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                 BOSNIA &
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                               HERZEGOVINA               SERBIA

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      SARAJEVO                                                BULGARIA

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                         ITALY                                                                                       SOFIA
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        PRESTINA

                     Timo Tschammler MSc FRICS                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                               KOSOVO
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                           SKOPJE

                                                                                                                                                  HAMBURG                                                                                                                                                                                                                              MACEDONIA

                     International Director                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        ROME                                                 TIRANA

                                                                                                                             PORTUGAL                                                             MADRID                                                                                                                                                                 ALBANIA

                     Management Board Germany
                                                                                                                                Lisboa (Lisbon)                                                                                                                                                                                                                                              GREECE
                                                                                                                                                                                      SPAIN

                     Office and Industrial, Jones Lang LaSalle
                                                                                                                                             Setúbal

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                               ATHENS

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                           BERLIN

        Germany enjoys a thriving, robust and mature real estate market which is one of the                   DÜSSELDORF
cornerstones of the German economy. Knowledge of the details of the law, the real estate market                COLOGNE
and its players has been one of Clifford Chance’s core competences for decades and forms the
basis of the most experienced, integrated and largest real estate legal practice in Germany.
We will help you achieve your goals and minimise legal risks during the whole life cycle of your                             FRANKFURT
real estate investments, wherever your investment strategy takes you.

                     Cornelia Thaler
                     Partner
                     Head of Real Estate Germany, Clifford Chance
                                                                                                                                        STUTTGART

                                                                                                                                                                                                           MUNICH
A guide to investing in Germany - JLL
German Overview | 5

Overview of
Germany
German economy overview
Germany is the strongest economy in Europe and one of the
largest worldwide. It plays a leading role in the European Union
(EU) and benefits from the customs duty exemptions that this
membership provides. This membership allows Germany to take
                                                                     main trading partners include not only European countries such
                                                                     as France, the UK, Italy, and the Netherlands, but international
                                                                     markets such as the United States, China and Russia.
                                                                                                                                        10   1
                                                                                                                                                                                     COMPETITIVE ADVANTAGES
                                                                                                                                                                                     OF GERMANY
                                                                                                                                             The variety of opportunities and competitive occupational costs make Germany an excellent destination for investment.

                                                                                                                                                 Germany has the largest GDP and population in Europe with
                                                                                                                                                 four cities having a population of greater than 1 million.
                                                                                                                                                                                                                    and strongest in the world. Small and medium-sized
                                                                                                                                                                                                                    enterprises (SME) are also an important part of the
                                                                                                                                                                                                                    German economy with almost 60 % of all employees are
                                                                                                                                             2   First Class Infrastructure. Germany is Europe’s number             working in SME’S.
advantage of free trade between the community’s 27 member            “Made in Germany” is a pseudonym for quality. This reputation               one logistic market. A first-class transportation and
states. Germany accounts for 20% of Europe’s GDP (EU-27) and is      has been built on the consistent innovation shown by German                 communications network assures just-in-time delivery.          7   Germany is one of the big three global exporters (alongside
home to 16% of the total European Union population. The German       companies, making them global leaders in the development of                                                                                    China and the US). This supply-side strength is one of the
economy is both highly industrialised and diversified – with equal   new technologies. German dominance in the development of new            3   Germany has nine major international airports:                     main drivers in making Germany one of the top targets for
focus placed on services and production.                             technologies continues to this day; in 2012 Germany had almost              Frankfurt/M, Munich, Düsseldorf, Berlin, Hamburg,                  international investors.
                                                                     twice as many patents approved as France and Great Britain                  Cologne, Leipzig, Hannover and Stuttgart.
The capital city of Germany is Berlin, however Germany               combined.                                                                                                                                  8   Germany has one of the lowest unemployment rates in
is a Federal Republic with sixteen “Bundesländer”. Every                                                                                     4   Germany has highly developed economic and political                Europe and worldwide. Alongside this, Germany benefits
“Bundesland” has state legislatures, political institutions and      Germany is the leading global force in high-tech solutions with             legislation, providing the necessary legal framework for           from an excellent standard of workforce, due to the quality
administration. The federal structure ensures the division of        German Engineering being a globally demanded commodity.                     the protection of investments.                                     of education and vocational training available.
authority between the Federal Government and the “Länder”.           This dominance looks set to continue with 11% of all university
For this reason there are some differences between the               graduates having an engineering degree.                                 5   Germany, based on a 2013 survey of more than 26,000            9   The renewable energy sector in Germany is the most
administrative / legislative protocols of the Länder, such                                                                                       people in 25 countries, is the world’s most popular country.       innovative and successful in the world.
as Building Codes or certain tax levels. From an economic            Environmental research and technologies are also an area
perspective, this federal structure presents investors with          in which Germany will continue to lead. Germany is already                  Economic diversity; manufacturing and the provision of
                                                                                                                                             6                                                                  10 Liquid Markets. Due to Germany’s federal nature, it has
a range of opportunities due to the variety of conditions found      established as a global pioneer in developing renewable and                 services provide two distinct, yet complementary grounds           many strong cities; this variety brings with it opportunities
across the German regions and cities.                                environmental technologies and this trend looks set to continue.            from which the strong and stable German economy is                 for diversification (There are 70 cities with more than
                                                                                                                                                 anchored. The manufacturing sector is one of the largest           100,000 inhabitants).
German manufacturing is internationally renowned for its             Germany places strong emphasis on sustainability of the
quality output and leading-edge design and technology.               environment and encourages big companies take part in
German chemical, automotive, and machinery & equipment               “Corporate-Sustainability” for a healthy world. National targets
manufacturing industries are recognised globally. Germany’s          are aiming to reduce CO2 emissions by 80% to 60% in 2050.

                                                                                                                                        Quality of Living Survey

                                                                                                                                         Rank          City                     Country

                                                                                                                                         1             Vienna                   Austria

                                                                                                                                         2             Zurich                   Switzerland

                                                                                                                                         3             Auckland                 New Zealand

                                                                                                                                         4             Munich                   Germany

                                                                                                                                         5             Vancouver                Canada

                                                                                                                                         6             Düsseldorf               Germany

                                                                                                                                         7             Frankfurt                Germany

                                                                                                                                         8             Geneva                   Switzerland

                                                                                                                                        Source: MERCER Ranking 2012
A guide to investing in Germany - JLL
A guide to investing in Germany                                                                                                            Legal Overview | 7

Legal
overview

1.0	Ownership                                                       1.2	Condominium ownership
In Germany, ownership title is one of the fundamental individual    Condominium ownership is the result of the separation of
rights, protected by the constitution. The owner of an asset        individual units in a building. Residential properties are
such as real estate has the unlimited rights of use, enjoyment      commonly held in this way, especially in larger German cities.
of the fruits of their asset (rents, natural resources, interest    However, this form of ownership is not common for commercial
payments etc), disposal, letting, and the right to bequeath to      purposes, such as offices (which are usually owned in full
someone.                                                            freehold ownership).

The most common form of real estate ownership title is full         Condominium ownership consists of the ownership of a specific
freehold title. Of lesser importance is condominium ownership       part of the building, usually the rooms of the apartment
(Wohnungseigentum), or quasi-ownership forms such as                (Sondereigentum), and the co-ownership, together with all other
hereditary building rights (Erbbaurechte) or usufruct rights        condominium owners, of the communal parts of the building
(Nießbrach). The ownership title of real estate assets are always   (Gemeinschaftseigentum), such as elevators, staircases and
registered in the land register, as are the most important          gardens.
encumbrances which can rest on real property (such as
mortgages).                                                         The relationship between the condominium owners is governed
                                                                    by a contract, which governs how decisions relating to the whole
                                                                    of the real estate are reached, and how costs are shared. In larger
1.1	Full freehold ownership                                         condominiums, there will be condominium administrator in
Full freehold ownership is the ownership over a plot of land.       charge of managing the affairs of the condominium owners.
As a matter of law, immovable fixtures, most importantly
buildings, are considered an integral part of the land. Thus,       Condominium ownership is freehold ownership, albeit of only a part
whoever is registered as the owner of the freehold in the land      of a building, and as such can be let and sold on in the same way.
register, also owns the buildings on the land. Full freehold
ownership can be charged either for financing purposes with
mortgages or with liens permitting/prohibiting certain conduct
                                                                    1.3	Hereditary building rights
(e.g. cable rights, right of way etc).                              Hereditary buildings rights are a type of quasi-ownership
                                                                    rights to real estate. They are similar to freehold ownership
Ownership title is transferred from one owner to the next           insofar as they entitle the owner to use a plot of land. They can
through the registration of ownership title in the land register.   be sold, bequeathed and charged with mortgages and liens.
Registration of the ownership title is based on an agreement        But a hereditary building right is only temporary, and after the
between the purchaser and the vendor. This agreement must           term of the hereditary building right has passed, the right ceases
always be notarised before a notary; if not notarised, an           to exist and the usage rights are, with all other rights, conferred
agreement to transfer real estate is void under German law,         back to the full freehold owner.
and a land register will refuse to transfer ownership title.
The transfer of ownership title is usually affected some weeks      Hereditary ownership rights are bought about by the agreement
after the commercial closing between the parties has taken          between the full freehold owner and the beneficiary of the
place. There are certain legal safeguards in place to ensure that   hereditary building right. The right needs to be registered in the
both the purchaser and the vendor of real estate can enter into     land register; for the hereditary building right, an additional land
and execute a transaction involving real estate, despite being      register page is formed to register all changes in title to this
unable to close the transaction themselves.                         quasi-ownership right.

                                                                    Typically a hereditary ownership right lasts for 99 years, but it
                                                                    is possible to extend this. Hereditary building rights are used by
                                                                    entities which, while allowing third parties to use and redevelop
                                                                    a plot of land on a very long-term basis, hesitate to sell full
                                                                    freehold ownership. The most prominent examples are German
                                                                    municipalities and the Christian churches, both of which make
                                                                    use of hereditary building rights regularly.
A guide to investing in Germany - JLL
A guide to investing in Germany                                                                                                                                                                                                                                         Leasing Overview | 9

Leasing
overview

Commercial buildings and properties are often let through                                                                                      1.4	Maintenance and repairs                                                the vendor. There are only few exceptions to this rule; most
commercial lease agreements. Commercial leases are governed                                                                                                                                                               notably, the original landlord will remain responsible for any
                                                                                                                                               Unless otherwise agreed between the parties, the obligation
by special provisions of the German Civil Code. This law leaves                                                                                                                                                           rent security provided to them by tenants. In the worst case, the
                                                                                                                                               to perform and pay for maintenance and repairs is upon the
most matters up for agreement between the parties, but provides                                                                                                                                                           tenant can claim back the rent security from the original landlord
                                                                                                                                               landlord. However, it is common for the tenant to take over the
fall-back provisions on which the parties can rely if they do not                                                                                                                                                         even if they no longer own the property and have passed the
                                                                                                                                               execution and costs of certain maintenance and repair works,
choose to deviate from the general rule of the law. Some of                                                                                                                                                               security on to the acquirer of the property. As a result, there are
                                                                                                                                               whereas the landlord will be responsible only for structural
these provisions are pro-landlord, others are more pro-tenant.                                                                                                                                                            usually specific agreements relating to such security in purchase
                                                                                                                                               issues (Dach und Fach). Alternatively, a landlord can reach an
In general, German lease law can be said to have a slight bias                                                                                                                                                            agreements.
                                                                                                                                               agreement where the tenant will be responsible even for these
towards the tenant, more than for example in the UK, but less
                                                                                                                                               structural issues; however this is less common. German courts
than in France.
                                                                                                                                               will closely scrutinise such agreements and are not shy of holding         1.6	Acquisition options
                                                                                                                                               such provisions invalid if agreed upon due to overwhelming
A German lease agreement will always contain provisions on the                                                                                                                                                            Agreements between tenants and landlord which entitle one
                                                                                                                                               market power of the landlord.
following issues:                                                                                                                                                                                                         party to ask for the property to be sold are not uncommon.
                                                                                                                                                                                                                          However, they do require valid notarisation.
1.1	Rent object                                                                                                                                1.5	Subletting / Assignment
                                                                                                                                               Subletting is permissible under German law, but usually subject            1.7	Tax
This needs to be clearly defined to avoid problems.
                                                                                                                                               to agreement between the parties which restrict the tenant’s
                                                                                                                                                                                                                          German commercial lease agreements regularly are subject to
                                                                       1.3	Rent                                                                possibilities of sub-letting. The unilateral assignment of a lease
                                                                                                                                               by the tenant to a third party is, unless specifically allowed and         VAT, provided that the tenant is an entity which can reclaim VAT.
1.2	Duration                                                           The rent can, and is, freely agreed between the parties                                                                                            There are certain types of tenants which are not, such as doctors
                                                                                                                                               provided for in the lease agreement, not possible under German
Under German law, the parties are free to agree to a fixed term,       of commercial leases. All the usual permutations of rent                                                                                           or banks. This can lead to complications in the tax treatment of
                                                                                                                                               law. If not specifically allowed and provided for, it always requires
or can leave the duration of a lease agreement unspecified. In the     calculations can be found in Germany (fixed rent, turnover rent,                                                                                   the property which require specialist advice by tax experts.
                                                                                                                                               the consent of the landlord.
latter case, a commercial lease is generally terminable with six       mix of both etc.), including all methods of incentivising tenants
to nine months’ notice. If a fixed term is agreed upon, the term       (rent-free periods etc.).
                                                                                                                                               However, in the event of a sale the lease will follow the land,
is subject to market practice. Retail properties tend to be let for                                                                            i.e. the purchaser of the real estate becomes landlord replacing
10-15 years, whereas office buildings usually are let for an initial   The rent review mechanism in Germany links changes in rent
term of 5-10 years, and shorter terms thereafter. Other usages         to inflation (VPI – the German consumer price index). Often this
can result in different market-standard terms. Contractual             mechanism involves a hurdle rate at which point the change
renewal options are common, but not a matter of statutory law;         in rent will be triggered; once triggered the passing rent will         Standard Rental Terms               Office                              Retail                             Logistics
they must be agreed upon by both parties.                              be amended to reflect the change in VPI. Frequently however,            Rents                               2/m²/month                          2/m²/month                         2/m²/month
                                                                       the change in VPI is not fully incorporated in the new rent.
The term of a commercial lease can, as a matter of law, not            For instance a standard rental increase may outline that after
exceed 30 years; after that time, both parties can terminate the       a given change in VPI, then the rent will be affected by 90% of this    Typical lease term                  5-10 years                          5-10 years (High Street)           3-5 years for existing properties
lease, even if the contract stipulates a longer period. In practice,   change. It should be noted that rental adjustments, while possible                                                                                                                 and 7-10 years for new space
there is a legal requirement that leases with a duration of more       in principle, must allow for increase as well as decrease of rent,      Frequency of                        Monthly in advance                  Monthly in advance                 Monthly in advance
than one year must meet “written form” requirements. This              reflecting the current market situation, to be valid. The only          rent payable
does not only mean that all material parts of the agreement            exception is if a rent step-up plan is explicitly agreed upon in
which form the lease agreement must be in writing, but                 advance. But “upward-only” rent reviews are not permissible             Typical rent deposit                3-6 months                          Negotiable                         Negotiable
furthermore that all parts of the lease must form one “deed”.          in German law.                                                          (expressed in months)
There are different ways to comply with these requirements.                                                                                    Basis of rent increase              VPI with hurdle rates               VPI with hurdle rates              VPI with hurdle rates
If a lease does not comply with the legal requirements of written      Rent usually consists of the true compensation for the usage of         at review
form, it remains valid and in force, but after one year may be         the property, as well as a prepayment by the tenant on costs the
terminated by either party as if the lease had an unspecified          landlord has vis-a-vis third parties (e.g. waste disposal, utilities,   Frequency of rent                   Annual Indexation                   Annual Indexation                  Annual Indexation
term, i.e. six to nine months’ notice.                                 ground rent etc.). Unless the lease explicitly provides for such        increases
                                                                       costs to be borne by the tenant, the landlord must carry them.
                                                                       It is standard to refer to certain legal provisions listing the most
                                                                       important kinds of ancillary costs. However, in some markets
                                                                       tenants refuse to carry certain costs (e.g. ground tax). In this
                                                                       case, the landlord must deduct these expenses from his income
                                                                       to calculate the true net rent.
A guide to investing in Germany - JLL
A guide to investing in Germany                                                                                                                                                                                                                       Environmental Overview | 11

environmental
overview

Green Buildings – Sustainability in Germany                                                                                                 Contamination of land or buildings
Germany is pursuing an ambitious program of transforming the          The objective of these activities is to reduce the carbon footprint   When land becomes polluted or a building becomes
real estate industry from one of the largest consumers of fossil      of buildings, both new and existing. These changes will have          contaminated, the responsibility to remediate this usually lies
fuels to an entity governed by the principles of sustainability.      important implications on the allocation of the cost burden           with the owner. However, if the polluter can be determined, they
The Energieeinsparverordnung 2009 (EnEV 2009) is a piece of           between landlords, tenants and (via subsidies or tax breaks) the      too can be held responsible. Property tenants are usually not
legislation which deals with energy consumption and energy            government. Recent laws allow landlords to increase rent as           held liable, unless they caused the pollution. Under German law,
efficiency of buildings. Under this regulation, old and inefficient   a result of energy efficiency measures, such as added insulation,     a property owner cannot relieve itself from clean-up liability by
heating systems must be replaced by efficient new ones and air        new heat-insulating windows, more efficient heating systems           selling or abandoning the land (concept of “eternal land-owners
conditioning systems must be regularly inspected by experts.          etc. However, these increases are limited to 11% of the rent.         clean-up liability”). Indemnification clauses in agreements with
Furthermore, all buildings must have energy certificates              In addition, the tenant’s right to reduce the rent as a result of     property purchasers only allocate liability between the contract
(Energieausweis), which must be presented when selling or             the disturbances and nuisances related to the construction work       parties and significantly not in relationship to the authorities.
letting a building.                                                   associated with such measures is now limited to only those
                                                                      construction measures which exceed three months.
These regulations will be made tougher in the coming years,
with the aim of tightening the obligations. New buildings will        All of these measures have led to the rise of certificates
have to observe ambitious energy efficiency standards; it is also     confirming compliance with applicable energy-efficiency laws,
possible that these stringent new regulations could be extended       and even stricter standards, in German commercial real estate.
to existing buildings as well. The new regulations will oblige        For instance, it is now extremely rare for trophy office buildings
                                                                                                                                                                                                                 Environmentally material facilities
property owners to state the energy consumption and efficiency        to be built without such certificates. Common certificates
of their building when advertising their buildings for purchase or    are the German “Deutsches Gütesiegel Nachhaltiges Bauen”                                                                                   Buildings or industrial facilities which may have an adverse
rental purposes. As of 2021, all newly constructed buildings must     (DGNB) and “Bewertungssystem Nachhaltiges Bauen” (BNB),                                                                                    impact on the environment and the surroundings, especially local
be so-called minimal-energy buildings, i.e. require zero energy       but other certificates such as the US “Leadership in Energy and                                                                            neighbours, require permitting under special environmental
for heating, or even produce energy. Buildings built by public        Environmental Design” (LEED) certificate or the UK’s BREEAM                                                                                laws. These deal with environmental hazards and nuisances such
entities will have to achieve this by 2019.                           are also present in the German market. These certificates are                                                                              as noise, air pollution, waste disposal, wastewater discharge,
                                                                      becoming increasingly important in minds of many institutional                                                                             and many others. Environmental regulation is comprehensive
                                                                      investors. This trend of sustainability in real estate is set to                                                                           and complex in Germany, as can be expected in a developed,
                                                                      continue.                                                                                                                                  mature industrialised nation; much of it is determined by EU
                                                                                                                                                                                                                 law. Specialised authorities of the Federal States are responsible
                                                                                                                                                                                                                 for the permitting process and compliance monitoring of
                                                                                                                                                                                                                 such facilities, which are governed under the German Federal
                                                                                                                                            Action to clean up can be brought either by the authorities, or by   Emission Protection Act (Bundes-Imissionsschutzgesetz) and
                                                                                                                                            certain private parties (mainly property owners and neighbours).     many other environmental laws. Depending on the kind of
                                                                                                                                            The procedure can take time and involves exact evaluation of the     facility, the permitting process can be very time-consuming
                                                                                                                                            issues, agreement of possible remedies, planning and execution       and elaborate and involve several public hearings. Smaller
                                                                                                                                            of remediation work and monitoring of the results. Usually,          installations are subject to lesser requirements. Non-industrial
                                                                                                                                            environmental / technical experts are involved. The process          real property usually is not subject to these permitting
                                                                                                                                            regularly is carried out in co-operation between the authorities     requirements.
                                                                                                                                            and the party responsible for clean-up.

                                                                                                                                            In most German states, if contamination is found it must be
                                                                                                                                            reported to the authorities. There is no legal obligation by
                                                                                                                                            the owner to actively search for contamination of the land or
                                                                                                                                            buildings. However, for some contaminants (such as asbestos),
                                                                                                                                            best management practices adopted by market participants,
                                                                                                                                            and also workplace safety and insurance requirements have
                                                                                                                                            led to thorough investigations of the majority of commercial
                                                                                                                                            buildings. There is no automatic obligation to remove
                                                                                                                                            contaminants (e.g. asbestos, PCB). Whether or not contaminants
                                                                                                                                            can remain in the building depends on the result of an
                                                                                                                                            assessment of the danger posed in each individual case.
A guide to investing in Germany - JLL
A guide to investing in Germany                                                                                                                                                                                              Key Issues Around Tax | 13

                                                                                                            Ownership and operation of German real estate

key issues
                                                                                                            Income Taxation                                                         Trade Tax
                                                                                                            •   In the case of corporate ownership, rental revenues derived         •   Any commercial trade or business is in principle subject to
                                                                                                                from German real estate are subject to German Corporate                 German Trade Tax (“TT”), if and to the extent the business

around tax                                                                                                      Income Tax (“CIT”) at an effective standard rate of 15.825%
                                                                                                                (including solidarity surcharge). In the case of an individual
                                                                                                                ownership, German Income Tax (“GIT”) with an individual
                                                                                                                                                                                        is operated in Germany through a German permanent
                                                                                                                                                                                        establishment or a German permanent representative
                                                                                                                                                                                        (“German PE”).
                                                                                                                (progressive) income tax rate up to 47.475% (including
                                                                                                                                                                                    •   Generally, TT is levied on the business income calculated
                                                                                                                solidarity surcharge) on the rental income would apply.
                                                                                                                                                                                        based on the profits determined for CIT or GIT purposes.
                                                                                                                In the case of ownership through a partnership structure,
                                                                                                                                                                                        However, certain adjustments are required to determine the
                                                                                                                income taxation would depend on the relevant partners
                                                                                                                                                                                        TT base (i.e. certain add-backs and deductions are made for
                                                                                                                (companies or individuals).
                                  Acquisition                                                                                                                                           TT purposes). This applies in particular to interest expenses.
                                                                                                            •   Expenses and costs economically incurred in relation to                 Special TT exemption for real estate companies may also be
                                  Real Estate Transfer Tax                                                      German real estate (including e.g. depreciation deduction               available on a case by case basis.
                                                                                                                of in general up to 3% p.a. on the acquisition costs of the
                                  •   The transfer of German real estate by way of an asset deal is                                                                                 •   The TT rates currently range from approximately 7% to 17%
                                                                                                                building) should in principle be deductible for CIT and GIT
                                      subject to German Real Estate Transfer Tax (“RETT”).                                                                                              depending on the municipality in which the PE is located.
                                                                                                                purposes.
                                  •   The transfer of shares/interest in entities holding German real                                                                               •   Non-German resident companies merely leasing German real
                                                                                                            •   Interest expenses should generally also be tax deductible.
                                      estate is generally also subject to RETT if, inter alia, a) 95% or                                                                                estate should generally not be subject to TT provided they do
                                                                                                                However, the tax deductibility of net-interest expenses is
                                      more of the shares/interest are directly or indirectly transferred                                                                                not act through a German PE.
                                                                                                                limited under the so-called Interest Barrier Rules (“IBR”)
                                      to, or are unified in the hand of, a single purchaser or b) upon          to generally 30% of the tax EBITDA of the relevant year.
                                      a transaction a taxpayer holds an economical participation of at          However, no limitation would apply, inter alia, if the
                                      least 95%, directly or indirectly, in a German real estate holding                                                                            VAT
                                                                                                                net-interest expenses are less than €3.0m p.a.
                                      entity. Moreover, if German real estate is held by a partnership,         Other IBR exemptions might be available in the single case.         •   The leasing and letting of German real estate is subject to
                                      RETT is triggered, if within five years more than 95% of the                                                                                      VAT, but generally exempt from VAT. However, the possibility
                                      interest in such partnership are directly or indirectly transferred                                                                               to opt for VAT is available under certain circumstances and
                                      to new partners. However, structures to mitigate RETT might be        Withholding Tax                                                             commonly made use of provided the tenants use the property
                                      available.                                                                                                                                        for businesses subject to VAT.
                                                                                                            •   In principle, no German Withholding Taxation (“WHT”) should
                                  •   The RETT rate depends on the German Federal State in which                apply to (non-profit linked) interest payments and rental
                                      the property is located and currently ranges between 3.5% to              revenues. However, in certain circumstances the German              Land Tax
                                      5.5%.                                                                     tax authorities may order the application of WHT at a rate of
                                                                                                                26.375% (including solidarity surcharge).                           •   In general, German real estate owners are subject to Land
                                  •   It is market standard that RETT is borne by the purchaser.                                                                                        Tax in Germany. However, it is almost standard that Land
                                      However, parties may also negotiate a deviating provision in          •   Dividends paid by a German corporation are generally subject            Tax is borne by the tenant as an ancillary cost provided the
                                      a sale and purchase agreement.                                            to German WHT at a rate of 26.375% (including solidarity                respective lease agreement comprises such a pass-through
                                                                                                                surcharge). The rate might be reduced in case a double tax              provision.
                                                                                                                treaty is applicable and might even be reduced to 0% under
                                  Value Added Tax                                                               the European Parent-Subsidiary Directive, if applicable.            •   The Land Tax rates range between 1% and 2% of a special
                                                                                                                However, such reductions of WHT are subject to substantial              property value determined under German Valuation Tax Act
                                  •   The transfer of leased German real estate constitutes (in most
                                                                                                                requirements.                                                           (reflecting values as of the year 1964), which is generally
                                      cases) a sale of an ongoing business which is not subject
                                                                                                                                                                                        substantially lower than the current fair market value of the
                                      to German Value Added Tax (“VAT”) provided, inter alia, the
                                                                                                                                                                                        property.
                                      purchaser continues the leasing business of the seller. In such
                                      case the purchaser assumes the VAT position of the seller
                                      regarding the real estate (including VAT correction obligations,
                                      if any).
                                  •   In any other case, the sale and transfer of German real estate            Exit
                                      as well as shares in companies owning German real estate is
                                      generally VAT exempt. However, the possibility to opt for VAT             Capital Gain Taxation
                                      might be available in order to allow a deduction of input VAT or
                                      to avoid any correction of input VAT in connection with the real          •   Capital gains realised in connection with the direct                flat rate of 26.375% (including solidarity surcharge). If the
                                      estate acquisition in an asset deal.                                          sale of a German real estate (i.e. asset deal) should in            individual holds the shares as a business asset, 40% of
                                                                                                                    principle be subject to GIT or CIT (as the case may be) at          the capital gain would be exempt from GIT; the remaining
                                  •   The current standard VAT rate is 19%.                                         the standard rates mentioned above. If the capital gain is          amount would be subject to the individual progressive
                                                                                                                    connected to a German PE, TT also applies.                          income tax rate of the seller (and consequently only 60%
                                                                                                                                                                                        of the expenses would be deductible). If the capital gain is
                                                                                                                •   If the seller is a corporation, generally 95% of a capital
                                                                                                                                                                                        connected to a German PE, also TT applies.
                                                                                                                    gain from the sale of the shares in a corporation (i.e. share
                                                                                                                    deal) holding German real estate would be exempt from           •   In case of non-German residents, Germany may have
                                                                                                                    CIT. If the seller is an individual holding the shares as a         waived its right to tax capital gains realised from the sale
                                                                                                                    private asset, a capital gain from the sale of shares in a          of shares in companies holding German real estate under
                                                                                                                    corporation would generally be subject to GIT at a                  an applicable double taxation treaty.
A guide to investing in Germany - JLL
A guide to investing in Germany                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                             Berlin | 15

                                                                                                                                 Berlin: Retail High Streets with Key Data (2/sq m/month)

                                                                                                                                                     Wilm
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                               Kantstraße                                                  Budapeste        e
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                     r Straß

city Focus:
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      Savignyplatz

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                 Schluterstraße

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                       Uhlandstraße
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                               Kurf

                                                                                                                                                         ersdo
                                                                                                                                 Charlottenburg                                                                                                           S

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                             Knesebeckstraße
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                   ürst
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                       enst
                                                                                                                                          S                                                                                                                                                                                                                Tau                                                             raße
                                                                                                                                   R                                                                                                                                                                                                                          en

                                                                                                                                                              rfer S
                                                                                                                                                                         €85 / 48%                                                                                                                                                                              zie

                                                                                                                                                                                                   Leibnizstraße
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          U

BERLIN
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            Kurfürstendamm         n-S
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      tra
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                         ße

                                                                                                                                                                    tr
                                                                                                                                                                                                                   Mommsenstraße
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  €280 / 85%

                                                                                                                                         Le
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                         U

                                                                                                                                           wis
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                             Uhlandstr.                                                                                    U

                                                                                                                                              ha
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                m
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            ndam                                                                                                                            Wittenbergplatz                    Kleis
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                       ürste

                                                                                                                                                ms
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    tstra
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                   Kurf                                                                                                                                                                                  ße
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                             €260 / 60%

                                                                                                                                                  tra
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                     U

                                                                                                                                                     ße
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        S
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  burger traße                             Ausburger Str.
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                           Lietzen
                                                                                                                                              Adenauerplatz
                                                                                                                                                                U

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                 S                R U
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      Bhf. Friedrichstraße                                                                                   U Weinmeisterstr.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                         e
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                     traß
                                                                                                                                                                                             U

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Friedrich

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                 rg-S
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                              mbu
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          Markt

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                             ße
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                             Ale
     The Capital of Germany

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                         uxe
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        Hackescher

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          tra
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                xa

                                                                                                                                                                                    aße

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                              Straße
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  nd

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                       t-S
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                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                     ec
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  Ros
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                         tz

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                   kn
                                                                                                                                                                              los
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                 €120

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                 eb
                                                                                                                                                                           Sch

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                               Li
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                   S      Hackescher Markt                        Al
                                                                                                                                                                                                                   €140 / 73%                                  U Französische Str.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            rl-
     Berlin is the capital of Germany and seat of the German        workforce is highly qualified, due to the proximity of                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          ex

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          Ka
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      an
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        de
     government. It is also the largest city in Germany with        excellent universities and this is a major driver in the                                              U                                                                                                                                                                                                                     S         rp U
                                                                                                                                   €85 / 72%                                                                                                                                                                                                                                Bhf. Alexanderplatz             l.
     3.4 million inhabitants. The wider Metropolitan Region         decision of companies to locate here.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          R

                                                                                                                                                                                     03
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                         U
     Brandenburg/Berlin comprises over 5.8 million inhabitants                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      €160 / 76%

                                                                                                                                                                                   A1
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                         e
     with a forecasted population growth of 7.1 % until 2030.       Berlin is always strongly rated in location and quality of                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        aß
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                   str
                                                                                                                                                                                                                            U
                                                                    life rankings. The largest companies in the area include:                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                   ner
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                               u
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        U Stadtmitte
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                rie                                                                                                                                          Gr
     The capital benefits from one of the most modern traffic       Deutsche Bahn, Vivantes, Siemens, Lufthansa, BVG and                                                                                                        Straße
                                                                                                                                                                                                                      Leipziger
     and transport infrastructure systems in Europe, with           Deutsche Telekom.
                                                                                                                                              U
     long-distance, regional-trains and the international airport
     completing the network. Berlin’s geographical location         As Berlin continues to grow it provides ever new offerings                                                                                                                                                                                                                     % is percentage of Chain Stores in each location
     makes it attractive for those companies looking to do          for business, living and retail accommodation. The project
     business in central and eastern Europe.                        “Berlin Adlerhof – City of Science, Business and Media”
                                                                                                                                 Berlin: Office Space Market Areas with Rental Bands (2/sq m/month)
                                                                    is a new district being created on 420 hectares of land in                                                                                                                                                                                                              PANKOW
     SME’s are the backbone of the economy in Berlin, making        southeastern Berlin. So far the scheme has proved popular    KONRADSHÖNE
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                         NIEDERSCHÖNHAUSEN
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                       HEINERSDORF          Moabit

     it an extremely competitive business location. The city’s      with forward looking companies and residents alike.          HAKENFELDE
                                                                                                                                                                                                                          A105
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                         REINICKENDORF
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                           Hansaviertel                                           Mitte
                                                                                                                                                                                TEGEL    Flughafen
                                                                                                                                 BERLIN                                                Berlin-Tegel                                                                                                                                                                                                            Mitte 1A
                                                                                                                                                                                   (Otto-Lilienthal)                                                                                                                                                                 WEIßENSEE                                 €13.00
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          Outercity North
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                           €5.00 - 9.00                                                                                                                        - 22.00
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                     WEDDING
                                                                                                                                                                                                                   A111                                                                                                                                                        TIERGARTEN

     Logos of companies that occupy significant space in the city                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Areal Potzdamer               Kreuzberg
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      GESUNDBRUNNEN                               PRENZLAUER          Leipziger Platz
                                                                                                                                   HASELHORST
                                                                                                                                                                                           CHARLOTTENBURG-NORD                                                                                                                                                       BERG             €15.00 - 21.00

                                                                                                                                                           SIEMENSSTADT
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      FENNPFUHL
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                         MOABIT                                                                                                                                                           MARZAHN

                                                                                                                                    SPANDAU                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  LICHTENBERG
                                                                                                                                 WILHELMSTADT                                                                                                                                                                                                             FRIEDRICHSHAIN
                                                                                                                                                                                          A100                                                                                                                  MITTE
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          Innercity East
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                       HANSAVIERTEL                                                        €7.50 - 16.00
                                                                                                                                              Outercity West                       WESTEND
                                                                                                                                               €5.00 - 10.00
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  TIERGARTEN

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                             FRIEDRICHSFELDE
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                              RUMMELSBURG
                                                                                                                                                                                                                          CHARLOTTENBURG                                                                    KREUZBERG

                                                                                                                                                                                                 HALENSEE                                                                                                                                                                                           Outercity East
                                                                                                                                                                                                                            Innercity West                                                                                                                                                          €6.00 - 11.00
                                                                                                                                                                                                                             €8.00 - 17.00                                                                                                                               ALT-TREPTOW

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                               SCHÖNEBERG
                                                                                                                                                                         A115                                               WILMERSDORF                                                                                                                                                                                             KARLSHORST
                                                                                                                                                  GRUNEWALD
                                                                                                                                                                                                 SCHMARGENDORF
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                               PLÄNTERWALD
                                                                                                                                                                                                                     A104
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                           Buckow                                   ALTGLIENICKE           GRÜNAU
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            TEMPLEHOF
                                                                                                                                                                                             Tiergarten                                                                                                                                                                                             Rudow         A113
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                   FRIEDENAU                                           A100                             Outercity South                                                                                   Bohnsdorf
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                         €5.00 - 9.00
                                                                                                                                              Charlottenburg

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                       Flughafen
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                       Berlin-Schönefeld (BBI)
                                                                                                                                       Charlottenburg 1A                                                                                              A103                                                                                  A102
                                                                                                                                         €11.00 - 21.00                                    SCHÖNEBERG                                                                    STEGLITZ                                                                                                      Areal Airport
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Berlin Brandenburg
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                       €9.50 - 17.50
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                   BRITZ
                                                                                                                                                                 Wilmersdorf                                                                                                                                              MARIENDORF
                                                                                                                                                                                                                   LICHTERFELDE
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    A113
                                                                                                                                                                                                                     0         1                              2 Kilometer
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    LANKWITZ
A guide to investing in Germany - JLL
A guide to investing in Germany                                                                                                                 Berlin | 17

city Focus:
BERLIN
Berlin is the main hot spot for                                          With the influx of young people, birth rates continue to stay high
international retailers                                                  in certain districts. These young families also often attempt to
                                                                         stay in the city centre, which gives rise to natural increases in
Berlin is the centre for innovation, creativity and academic             population in these districts such as Friedrichshain-Kreuzberg
research in Germany; it is also a fashion capital and tourist            and Mitte. Rents for new-build apartments in city centre locations
hotspot in Europe. There can be no doubt that Berlin is one of the       range between €10.00 and €14.00 per sq m. Since 2006 rental
most interesting retail locations in Europe. The range of products       levels have grown 37%, this is largely due to increasing demand
on offer is unique with some 10 km of prime shopping locations,          and a scarcity of supply.
covering more than 870,000 m² of space across 8 top areas.
In addition, Berlin’s tourist appeal is a strong magnet for national
and international retail formats. Berlin is not only the most            Growing demand from business services
frequently visited city in Germany – it is also among the top three
                                                                         Strong economic growth during the last two decades has driven
most visited cities in Europe.
                                                                         employment growth. Berlin is the capital of Germany and
                                                                         traditionally demand for office space has been largely driven
In spite of – or maybe because of – its size, Berlin is constantly on
                                                                         by government related companies and institutions. However
the move. Alexanderplatz Square has been transformed rapidly,
                                                                         this trend has been changing as businesses see Berlin as an
with sales space doubling over the past five years. Hackescher
                                                                         increasingly attractive office location. Berlin’s youthful, stylish
Markt has turned from an insider’s tip to an internationally
                                                                         and contemporary atmosphere has most recently attracted
accepted top location. Friedrichstraße has also found its own
                                                                         strong interest from the booming TMT sector. Recently Amazon,
niche. The street is now uniquely positioned as a premium
                                                                         eBay, Groupon and Zalando have taken a large amount of
location with a strong tourist appeal. As one of the symbols
                                                                         office space. We expect that this trend will continue and this
of Berlin, Kurfürstendamm remains in the focus of developers.
                                                                         sector will further bolster office demand in the coming years.
While a nationwide comparison shows that Berlin does not have
                                                                         Representatives of industrial companies, which have had little
the highest rents and the highest footfall, the German capital
                                                                         presence in Berlin for some time, have recently started to rent
clearly remains the No. 1 in terms of internationality, variety
                                                                         more office space. Demand is concentrated around the prime
and brand diversity.
                                                                         locations of Mitte, Innerstädtisch Ost and Charlottenburg.

Sustained population growth                                              It should be noted that Berlin has an extremely large amount of
                                                                         undeveloped land, a consequence of this is that land prices are
At year-end 2011, Berlin’s population exceeded the 3.5 million           relatively low in comparison with other cities.
mark for the first time since Reunification as the result of an
influx of almost 40,000 inhabitants per annum. Berlin’s Senate
expects further population growth to 3.756 million inhabitants           Platform for Transport to Eastern Europe
up to 2030. Immigration to Berlin is predominantly from the
                                                                         The large population in Berlin and its surrounding area make
young, who tend to move into the city centre. In addition to the
                                                                         it an attractive location for warehouses, discounter and retail
traditionally fashionable locations such as Prenzlauer Berg and
                                                                         orientated companies. By German standards however, it is by
Kreuzberg, there is increasing demand for locations in the less
                                                                         no means an industrial hotspot, in fact there is relatively little
well developed areas in the Mitte district such as Wedding and
                                                                         industrial space in the area. Rather Berlin is, due to its excellent
Moabit due to the comparatively cheaper rental levels.
                                                                         infrastructure, a trade hub connecting Eastern and Western
                                                                         Europe.

                                                                        Berlin is the centre for innovation, creativity
                                                                         and academic research, it is also a fashion
                                                                                   capital and tourist hotspot
A guide to investing in Germany - JLL
A guide to investing in Germany                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                   Cologne | 19

                                                                                                                                        Cologne:Retail
                                                                                                                                       Cologne:  RetailHigh
                                                                                                                                                        High  Streets
                                                                                                                                                            Streets    with
                                                                                                                                                                    with KeyKey
                                                                                                                                                                            DataData
                                                                                                                                                                                 (2/sq m/month)
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                Trankgasse                                                 U
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                              usstraße    Komodienstraße                                                                         Komodienstraße
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        Zeugha

city Focus:                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                         Burgmauer
                                                                                                                                            Fries
                                                                                                                                                 enpl
                                                                                                                                                     atz U Friesenplatz
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                              Appellhofplatz/Breite U
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            Straße

cologne

                                                                                                                                       Lim
                                                                                                                                                                                                                     Magnus raße

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                   Tunisstraße
                                                                                                                                          burg
                                                                                                                                                                                                                           st

                                                                                                                                              er S
                                                                                                                                                  traß

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          hmied
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                             €85 / 53%

                                                                                                                                                      e
                                                                                                                                                                                                       €105 / 68%

                                                                                                                                                                      nring

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                             Unter Goldsc
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                 Breite                                   Straße

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                              Marspfortengasse
                                                                                                                                                                zoller
                                                                                                                                                                                      Ehrenstraße
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  €225 / 81%

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                         ße
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                Hohe Stra
                                                                                                                                                           Hohen
                                                                                                                                           Rudolfplatz                                                 Mittelstraße
     Germany’s fourth largest city                                                                                                                U
                                                                                                                                                                Rudol                                  €80 / 56%                                                          €120 / 56%

                                                                                                                                                           ng Habsburgerring

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      Q uatermarkt
                                                                                                                                                                     fplatz
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                     Neumark                                                        Schilderg
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            t                                                                asse

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                               Große Sandkaul
     Cologne is, with 1 million inhabitants Germany’s fourth          Because of the centrality and good accessibility Cologne
                                                                                                                                                                                                                Hahne
                                                                                                                                                                                                                     nstraße                                                                                                      €250 / 88%
     largest city (after Berlin, Hamburg and Munich) and North        is a successful European economic and globalised                                                                                                                                                            Neuma
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                       rkt                                  Neumarkt
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        U
     Rhine - Westphalia’s biggest city. The wider “Rhine-Ruhr”        area attracting large companies including Ford, Bayer,                                                                                                  Marsilstein                                                                                    Cäcilien                                                                                                                                                   Heumarkt
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                     straße

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                              ergasse
     Metropolitan Region comprises more than 10 million               Stadtwerke Köln, Rewe, AXA and RWE Power.                                                                                      raße

                                                                                                                                                  staufenri
                                                                                                                                                                                           Schaafenst                                                                    Lunge                                                                                                                                                                                                                   U
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                              ngasse

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                               Neuköllner Straße
     inhabitants. Cologne is a growing city with a forecast                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        Pipinstraße                                                       Pipinstraße
     population growth of around 3.1% until 2025.                     Cologne plays host to a number of TV stations, record labels

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          meng
                                                                                                                                             Hohen
                                                                      and publishing houses underlining the great importance the

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                   Fleisch
                                                                                                                                            0                                        1                 2 Meter
     Cologne benefits greatly from its centrality and accessibility   city places on the media and creative industries in Germany.                                                                                                     Mauritiuskirche
     to the markets of central and western Europe. Cologne            All sectors of the media industry are represented in                                                                                                                        U

     has a long tradition as an axis of trade and as such attracts    Cologne, for example WDR, the largest broadcasting station                                                                                                                                                                                                                             % is percentage of Chain Stores in each location
     a wide variety of tenants from across the business sector        in continental Europe is headquartered in Cologne.
     spectrum. Leading enterprises from the industrial,
                                                                      The local employment structure is characterised by a             COlogne: Office Space Market Areas with Rental Bands (2/sq m/month)
     automotive, media, chemical, pharmaceutical and
     engineering sectors are located in Cologne.                      strong service sector with a focus on insurance companies,                                                                                     Volkhoven/Weiler             Seeberg
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          Heimersdorf
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                               Merkenich         Leverkusen                                                                                                                   Schwarzbroich
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                Other
                                                                      financial institutions, industry and professional associations                                                                 Auweiler
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                   Lindweiler                                                                                                                 Locations
                                                                                                                                                                                                     Esch/Auweiler                 A57                                                                                                                       €6.00 - 11.50
                                                                      as well as retailers. Cologne is also a transportation hub            Pulheim
                                                                                                                                                                                                                           Pesch
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                         Longerich
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                     Niehl                                   Flittard
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                               Dünnwald                                  Hardt

                                                                      benefiting from excellent infrastructure.                                                                                                                                        Ossendorf/                                                 Rhein
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                         Nippes
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                Bergisch
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      €6.50 - 10.50                                                                                                                                                                                             Gladbach
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                             Stammheim

                                                                                                                                                                                             Bocklemünd/Mengenich                                                        Weidenpesch                                                                          Höhenhaus
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                   Ossendorf
                                                                                                                                                                                                  Other
                                                                                                                                                                                                Locations
                                                                                                                                                                                               €6.00 - 11.50                                                                                                                                                                                                                               Dellbrück
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            Mauenheim
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                     Mülheim
                                                                                                                                        Brauweiler
                                                                                                                                                                               Widdersdorf
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      Bilderstöckchen
                                                                                                                                                                                 Widdersdorf
     Logos of companies that occupy significant space in the city                                                                                                                                                    Vogelsang                                                          Nippes
                                                                                                                                                                                    Köln                                              Bickendorf
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                             Köln
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          Neuehrenfeld
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                   Riehl                                                  Holweide
                                                                                                                                                                               Lövenich
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                       Buchheim
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Ehrenfeld/                   Neusdadt-                                                                                                           Merheim
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Braunsfeld                                                                                                                                                                                                                   Bensberg
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                   Nord
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                   €6.50 - 13.00                                                                        Buchforst
                                                                                                                                                                                                             Müngersdorf
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                         A4
                                                                                                                                                                                               Peripherie                                                                           Altsdadt-
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        Höhenburg
                                                                                                                                                                                                  West                               Braunsfeld                                       Nord                      Deutz                                                      Kalk/Mülheim
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                 Brück
                                                                                                                                                                                    Weiden
                                                                                                                                                                                               €7.00 - 9.50                                                                                             Deutz/Messe
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                           Kalk                             €7.00 - 13.00
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                 Neusdadt-City Centre                                                                                                                                                                                                  Rath/Heumar
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                   Süd €9.50 - 20.50                    €9.50 - 20.00
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                     Altsdadt-                                                          Vingst
                                                                                                                                        Buschbell                                                                                        Lindenthal                                     Süd
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          Rhinebank-West                                                                                     Neubrück
                                                                                                                                                                                                  Marsdorf                               Lindenthal/                                                       €13.00 - 22.00
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                             Sülz                                                                                                                                         Ostheim
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      A559
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                         €7.50 - 12.50                                                                                                                    A4                                                         Rath
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            A3
                                                                                                                                                                                                    Junkersdorf                                                                                                                Poll
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                Sülz                                                                                                          Gremberghoven                                                                                   Eil
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                     Zollstock      Raderberg                                                                                                                      A59
                                                                                                                                            Frechen                                                                                                                                              Bayenthal                                   Westhoven
                                                                                                                                                                                             A1                                                                      Zollstock
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                 Porz/Gremberghoven/
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                Klettenberg                   Bayenthal/                                                                                Airport                                                                                                                              Rösrath
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                             Marienburg                                                                              €8.50 - 11.50
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                             €9.00 - 15.00         Marienburg
                                                                                                                                                                                                         Hürth
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                 Ensen
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  Raderthal                                              Rodenkirchen
                                                                                                                                                                                  Gleuel                                                                                                                                                                                                                     Finenberg
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  Weifl

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                       Rondorf
                                                                                                                                         Berrenrath                                                                                                                                                                         Rodenkirchen
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                 A555
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      Other                                                 €7.00 - 10.50                                                                                    Urbach
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                     Flughafen
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                               Konraderhoehe                                                                                                                                            Porz
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Locations                                                                                                                                                                                                        Köln/Bonn
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                     (Konrad Adenauer)
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                   €6.00 - 11.50                            Hahnwald

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        Other                                                    Elsdorf
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                           Meschenich                                                                     Sürth                       Locations                                                                                                                                   Grengel
                                                                                                                                       0                                             2                       4 Kilometer                                                         Immedndorf                                                                                                                                                    Wahnheide
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                              Godorf                                                 €6.00 - 11.50                                          Wahn
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                       Meschenich                                                                                   Langel
A guide to investing in Germany                                                                                                                                                                       Cologne | 21

city Focus:                                                                                                                               Cologne is, with 1 million inhabitants Germany’s fourth largest city
                                                                                                                                          (after Berlin, Hamburg and Munich) and North Rhine-Westphalia’s
cologne                                                                                                                                 biggest city. The wider “Rhine-Ruhr” Metropolitan Region comprises
                                                                                                                                                                       more than 10 million inhabitants.

Tourism & Retail                                                        In the city centre, rental prices have now reached €11.00 to
                                                                        €15.00 per sq m, whilst in peripheral locations, new-build
Cologne is also something of a cultural metropolis, attracting
                                                                        apartments are already being offered from €8.00 per sq m.
millions of tourists each year with its historic sights and
                                                                        Rents have been rising again in Cologne since 2009 and have
numerous high profile events like Carnival or Christopher Street
                                                                        increased by around 10%.
Day. Tourists and residents alike can indulge in a 3 km long
shopping tour through downtown Cologne. No other German
city offers a comparable circuit. All major shopping streets            Growing office market
form an almost closed loop. Schildergasse and Hohe Strasse
are among the most frequented shopping streets in Germany.              Since 2005 office employment has grown by more than 13% to
Retail premises in the prime locations of Cologne command               almost 290,000 office workers. Cologne has developed as an
among the highest rental levels in Germany. However, when               attractive office location and office employment is expected
compared to other cities, there are only a small number of              to grow further in the coming years with a continued focus on
shopping malls in Cologne. The retail landscape here continues          business services, trade and media companies.
to be characterised by highly functional street level locations.
                                                                        Logistics
Cologne’s population is continuing to grow with population growth
at its highest in locations close to the city centre. The central       The logistic market in the Cologne Region benefits from
areas are still relatively affordable and are particularly attractive   the relatively high purchasing power of the population and
for newcomers; this includes the large numbers of students who          well-established infrastructure with several motorways,
come to the city to study.                                              harbours and the second largest freight airport in Germany.
A guide to investing in Germany                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Düsseldorf | 23

                                                                                                                                     sseldor Retail
                                                                                                                                  Düsseldorf: etail High
                                                                                                                                                      ighStreets
                                                                                                                                                          Streetswith
                                                                                                                                                                  with  KeDataata
                                                                                                                                                                      Key     (2/sq m/month)

city Focus:

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      Berl

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                 Tonh
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          iner
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                             e
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          raß

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                     alles
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                               Alle
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                     Heinrich-Heine                                                                                                    wst

Düsseldorf

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          ße
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                     Allee                                                                                                          ado
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                 Sch

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      stra
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                   e

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          tra ß
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                       U
                                                                                                                                                                                                          €230 / 80%                                                                                                                                                                     €255 / 83%

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                   Ost
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                               e
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                eine-Allee

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                               Königsallee
                                                                                                                                                                                                                  Straße
                                                                                                                                                                                                          Flinger

                                                                                                                                                                  er

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                              -H
                                                                                                                                                                                                                       Heinric h

                                                                                                                                                               suf
                                                                                                                                                            hau

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        Kasernenstraße
                                                                                                                                                         Rat

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  Breite Straße
                                                                                                                                                                                                             Mittelstraße
                                                                                                                                                                              €145 / 75%

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  e
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                               raß
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            tst
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          Os
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                         Benrather Straße                                                                                                                                                                   Im
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                              m

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                             Königsallee
                                                                                                                                                   r
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                               er

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                               Breite Straße
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                               U

                                                                                                                                                ufe
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                             Steinstr.                                                                                           m
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  an

                                                                                                                                             ann
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                U                                   ns
     one of the most dynamic and influential business locations                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      Oststr.                                          tra

                                                                                                                                           sm
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                         ße
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                           €275 / 66%

                                                                                                                                        nne

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      e
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                               er Alle
                                                                                                                                      Ma
     With 593,000 inhabitants and a further 11.6 million             and tax consultants. The largest companies are: E.ON,

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                         Berlin

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      e
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                   raß
     inhabitants located within one hour’s drive by car, it is one   Metro, C&A Fashion, Henkel, Rheinmetall and Vodafone.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                              Kasernenstraße

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                tst
     of the most dynamic and influential business locations in       Furthermore, many international nations are represented

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                              Os
     Germany. Düsseldorf is also a growing city with population      in Düsseldorf such as Fujifilm (Japan), HSBC (UK), L’Oreal                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                         e
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      aß
     growth forecasted to be 3.5 % per annum until 2025.             (France), TATA Steel (India), Huawei (China) and Statkraft                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                   ls
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    tr
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                 r
                                                                     (Norway). Due to this, 40 consulates and 33 foreign                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                       Ka
                                                                                                                                              Haroldstraß
     Düsseldorf is one of the most important German                  chambers of commerce are also based here.                                           e                               Haroldstraße
     commercial centres, playing a leading role in exporting                                                                          0                100              200 Meter                                                                                       Graf-Adolf-Pla
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      tz
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                     raße
     goods from Germany to foreign trade partners. Due to            Düsseldorf, is the state capital of North Rhine-Westphalia                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                         Graf-Adolf-St
     this strong track record in exporting goods, Dusseldorf         region and is home to all ministries of the provincial                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      % is percentage of Chain Stores in each location
     has attracted internationally oriented service providers        government.
     such as bank, insurers, logisticians, media experts                                                                          Düsseldorf: Office Space Market Areas with Rental Bands (2/sq m/month)
                                                                                                                                   Boesinghoven                                                                                            Wittlaer
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                 Kalkum                                         Ratingen                                               Oberkassel                                               Pemplefort
                                                                                                                                                                Lank-Latum                                                                                                                                                                        €8.00
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                           A52                   - 13.50
                                                                                                                                                                                           Langstkierst

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                 Altstadt                          City
                                                                                                                                                                                                     Kaiserwerth                                                                                                                                  Ratingen                                                                                         U
                                                                                                                                               Struemp                       Ilverich                                                                            Airport                                                                                                                                             Banking District                          €9.00 - 27.50
     Logos of companies that occupy significant space in the city                                                                                                                                                                                                €11.00                                                                          Ratingen
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                       €17.50 - 27.50
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Karlstadt
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                 - 16.00                                                                                                                                                                                       Stadtmitte
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      Lichtenbroich                                                                                                                                                            U
                                                                                                                                                                                                  Lohausen                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  U
                                                                                                                                                                                         A44                                                                   Flughafen Düsseldorf
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                               International

                                                                                                                                                                                           Stockum                                                                                 Unterrath
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                         Government District
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                       Hafen
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                               €11.50 - 17.50
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          Rath
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        North
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                     €8.00 - 15.00
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Düsseldorf
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                 Mörsenbroich                                                                                                                                                                   Oberbilk
                                                                                                                                                                                  Seestern                                                                                                                                                                                                                      City-South
                                                                                                                                                                                €9.50 - 13.50                                       Golzheim                                   Derendorf
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                               €8.00 - 11.00
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                Friedrichstadt
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            Ludenberg
                                                                                                                                                                                                          Lärick                           Kennedydamm
                                                                                                                                                                             Meerbusch                                                                                                                                                                                                                 Hubberath                                                   Mettmann
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                           €12.50 - 19.50
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                     A3
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      Düsseltal
                                                                                                                                                                       A52
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                   Niederkassel
                                                                                                                                                                                         Heerdt      Linksrheinisch                                                       Pemplefort                                                     Grafenberg        Grafenberg/East
                                                                                                                                                                                                      €7.00 - 13.50                   Oberkassel                   City                                                                                      €9.00 - 13.50
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                             €9.00 - 27.50
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        Banking District                                     Flingern
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          Altstadt                                                             Nord                            Gerresheim
                                                                                                                                                                                           Harbour                                                                       €17.50 - 27.50                                                                                                              Other
                                                                                                                                    A57                                                  €13.50 - 21.50                                                                                                                                                                                            Locations
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                         Karlstadt                Stadtmitte
                                                                                                                                  Kaarst
                                                                                                                                                                                                                Hafen                                                                                              Flingern
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      Süd
                                                                                                                                                                                                     Government District                                                                                                                      City-East
                                                                                                                                                                                                       €11.50 - 17.50                                                      Friedrichstadt Düsseldorf                                        €9.50 - 12.50
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  Lierenfeld
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          Unterbilk
                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Hamm                                                                                                                                     Vennhausen
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                           Oberbilk
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                   Bilk                                                                                                                                                                             Erkrath

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                              City-South                                                         Eller
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                             €8.00 - 11.00                                                                                                               Unterfbach                  Unterfeldhaus
                                                                                                                                                                                  Neuss
                                                                                                                                                                               €7.00 - 10.00
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                     A46
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                               Flehe
                                                                                                                                                                                                                            Volmerswerth
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                       Wersten          South
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                     €8.00 - 11.50
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                   Haan
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                   Hassels

                                                                                                                                            A46                                                                                                                                                                                                              Reisholz
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                             A59
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                         Holthausen
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                               Himmelgeist
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                           Hilden
                                                                                                                                                  Holzheim                                                                                                                                              Itter                                                                         Benrath
                                                                                                                                  0                    2                     4 Kilometer                           A57                                                                                                                                                                                                                                             Kalstert
                                                                                                                                                                                                  Neuss
A guide to investing in Germany                                                                                                                                                   Düsseldorf | 25

city Focus:
Düsseldorf                                                                                                                                    Düsseldorf is one of the top 3 retail locations
                                                                                                                                                    in Germany… it has benefited from the
                                                                                                                                                 growing interest of international retailers
                                                                                                                                                                 looking to expand

Düsseldorf – a retail metropolis                                       period in 2011. Asking rents for new-build apartments are
                                                                       currently around €12.50 per sq m. Rents in Düsseldorf have been
Düsseldorf is a retail metropolis and one of the top 3 retail
                                                                       rising since 2008 (c.18%). New developments have had a great
locations in Germany. In recent times it has benefited from the
                                                                       effect on the Düsseldorf rental market over the long-term.
growing interest of international retailers looking to expand,
                                                                       Taking this increase into account and the fact that the rising trend
attracting these groups due to its mix of luxury, consumer and
                                                                       is currently slowing down in Düsseldorf, there has been rather
fashionable locations.
                                                                       a moderate rental price increase since 2004, which has been
                                                                       at approximately the same rate as inflation. Further rental price
Düsseldorf is a famous city for fashion industries. Major companies
                                                                       development in Düsseldorf remains to be seen and is dependent
like Peek & Cloppenburg are headquartered here. The Königsallee
                                                                       on the large number of project developments.
or “The Kö” has one of the highest rents for retail space in
Germany and a strong draw for tourists. Königsallee is by far the
most heavily frequented luxury shopping location in Germany.           Office Market
Several fashion stores have recently reopened following major
refurbishing exercises. Construction work on the landmark project      Demand for office space in the region is bolstered by the general
Kö-Bogen will be finished this year. Some additional 19,000 sq m of    importance of the service sector. The share of people employed
new retail space will be created in this prominent location between    in this sector in Düsseldorf is extremely high, at over 80%.
Königsallee and Schadowstrasse.                                        In addition to the strong service sector Düsseldorf as the capital
                                                                       of Northrhine-Westfalia is well known as the so-called “Desk of
                                                                       the Ruhr-Area” which mean there is a significant share of office
Residential Market                                                     space demand coming from local and regional government.
Düsseldorf’s population is continuing to grow, largely due to inward
migration. Following population growth of 0.4% in 2011, a similar      Logistic Platform for Europe
level of growth was registered in North Rhine-Westphalia’s state
capital by mid-2012, which means that the city’s population            Düsseldorf has an advantageous geographic location for
continues to increase. With the growth in the numbers of               trade – Benelux, France and the remainder of Germany are
households exceeding population growth, the trend for smaller          all easily accessible. Excellent infrastructure is fundamental
households in Düsseldorf continues. The average asking rent            to Düsseldorf’s role as a trade hub for western and central
for accommodation in Düsseldorf is €9 per sq m/month, which            European business.
equates to a rise of more than 6% compared with the same
A guide to investing in Germany                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                   Frankfurt am Main | 27

                                                                                                                                              Frankfurt: Retail
                                                                                                                                             Frankfurt          HighRetail
                                                                                                                                                         am Main:    Streets
                                                                                                                                                                           Highwith Keywith
                                                                                                                                                                                Streets DataKey Data (2/sq m/month)
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                   Eschenheimer U
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            Tor

city Focus:
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                e
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                           hsraß
                                                                                                                                                                         Bockenheimer Anlag
                                                                                                                                                                                           e                                                                                                          Bleic

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                              2

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                       Konrad-Adenauer-Straße
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                         aße

Frankfurt am Main
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        Stif                                                 Stephenstraße

                                                                                                                                             Reuterweg
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                     aße                              str                                                                   tstr
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                 hstr                              ben                                                                          aße
                                                                                                                                                                                                                              Hoc                               Ta
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  u

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                               e
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        r Straß
                                                                                                                                                         Alte

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                           traße
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                     straße
                                                                                                                                                         Oper

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                henheime
                                                                                                                                                     U
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                   €120 / 54%

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  Schillers
                                                                                                                                                                                                €220 / 70%

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                               Börsen
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                              Konstablerwache

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                       Große Esc
                                                                                                                                                                                                Gr. B
                                                                                                                                                                                                     ocke
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                               €160 / 100%

                                                                                                                                                                            aße
                                                                                                                                                                                                         nhe                                                                                                                                                                                                                               S                          U
                                                                                                                                                                                                            ime
                                                                                                                                                                                                               r

                                                                                                                                                                         Str
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      Bieber-gasse
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                           S                                                                                                                         Zeil

                                                                                                                                                                     zer
                                                                                                                                                                                                   Goet                      Hauptwache

                                                                                                                                                                  ain
                                                                                                                                                                                                       hest
                                                                                                                                                                                                           raße
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                €290 / 81%

                                                                                                                                                                eM
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        U

                                                                                                                                                             Neu
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Steinw
                                                                                                                                                                                            €240 / 76%                                                    eg
     a global financial centre

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      ße
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                                                                                                                                                                                                    traß                                   €165 / 68%
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                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                   Kurt-Schumacher-Straße
                                                                                                                                                                                                                            Börse
     Frankfurt am Main is located in the centre of Germany and        First class infrastructure

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     with approximately 680,000 inhabitants is the fifth largest
                                                                      Frankfurt benefits from first class logistics and connectivity,

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                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                     traße
     German city, after Berlin, Hamburg, Munich and Cologne.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                 Battonns

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                                                                      Frankfurt Central Station is one of the largest train

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     The wider Metropolitan Region Rhein-Main comprises over                                                                                                                                             ße

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                                                                      stations in Europe and Frankfurt Airport, accessible in just                                                                   stra                                                                                                                                                        Straß

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     5.6 million inhabitants and it is the second largest region in                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                     Berl

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                                                                      15 minutes from the City Centre, is amongst the busiest                                                                e Ga
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     Germany. Frankfurt is also a growing city with a forecasted                                                                                                                         Gro
                                                                      airports in the world. In addition to this, the “Frankfurter

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     growth of around 1% p.a.
                                                                      Kreuz” is one of the most used motorways in Europe.
     Frankfurt is the financial centre of Germany and a global
                                                                      The Frankfurt Trade Fair is the second largest exposition
     financial centre. It is home to The European Central Bank,                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                       % is percentage of Chain Stores in each location
                                                                      in the world. It brings together companies from more than
     The German Federal Bank and The German Stock Exchange
                                                                      150 countries and has the largest revenue of any trade fair
     as well as several large commercial banks like Deutsche                                                                                 Frankfurt am Main: Office Space Market Areas with Rental Bands (2/sq m/month)
                                                                      of worldwide €538 million. Frankfurt is home to more than
     Bank and Commerzbank.
                                                                      70 consulates, 100 chambers of commerce and industry and                                                       Oberhoechstadt/Ts.                         Oberursel
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                Kalbach
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                Niederursel
                                                                      other foreign representations.                                         Königstein               Kronberg
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                             Frankfurter
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                       Bad                             Bergen-
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                       Enkheim
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  Merton-Viertel                                                Berg
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      Vilbel
                                                                                                                                                                                                                Steinbach                                                          €8.50 - 12.00                                                                            Berkersheim
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  A5

                                                                      Frankfurt is also well known for offering its residents a high                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                              Frankfurt
                                                                                                                                                                               Schwalbach
                                                                      quality of life. The city is also called a “green city” as more than                                                                                                                                                   Heddernheim                              Eschersheim
                                                                      50% of the inner city is made up of protected “green” areas.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                   Preungesheim
                                                                                                                                                                                                           Eschborn
                                                                                                                                                                                                          €7.50 - 14.50                                                                                                                              Eckenheim

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      Praunheim
                                                                                                                                                     Bad                                                                                                                                                                                 Dornbusch
                                                                                                                                                    Soden                                                                                                                                              Ginnheim
                                                                                                                                                                                                          Eschborn
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          Seckbach                                             A66
     Logos of companies that occupy significant space in the city                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                A661                                                                Bischofsheim
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                           North
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                     Hausen                                                                                                                  East
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                       €10.00 - 12.50       Nordend-           Bornheim
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                              West                                       €8.00 - 15.00
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Rödelheim                                                                  Bockenheim
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                   €9.00 - 12.00
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        Westend-
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                       West                                              Nord                         Nordend-
                                                                                                                                                                                                  A66                                                                              €9.50 - 17.50                                                                        Ost                          Riederwald
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                         Rödelheim
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                City
                                                                                                                                                                                                                     Sossenheim
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                           €11.00 - 28.00
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                   Westend-Süd
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                       A648                                                                                                             Innenstadt
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                     Offenbach
                                                                                                                                                         Unterliederbach                                                                                                                                          Westend                        Banking District                       Ostend                                                        am Main
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                €15.00 - 30.00                                                                                                Fechenheim
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                         City-West                                                                €21.00 - 34.00
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                     Nied                              €12.00 - 17.50                                                                Altstadt
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                 Kaiserlei
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                               €8.00 - 11.50
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                              Gallusviertel                                           Bahnhofsviertel                                       Oberrad
                                                                                                                                                                                        Höchst
                                                                                                                                              Zeilsheim                                                                                                                                                                                      Sachsenhausen-
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  Nord
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                   Gutleutviertel                                                                            Oberrad
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                   Central Station Area Sachsenhausen
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                              Griesheim                                                               €9.00 - 22.00      €11.50 - 17.00

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            Niederrad
                                                                                                                                                                                                       Other
                                                                                                                                                                                                     Locations                                                                                                                                                          Frankfurt
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                         Niederrad                                                                                      am Main
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                     Schwanheim         €9.00 - 14.50
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Sachsenhausen-
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                         Süd
                                                                                                                                                                                  Kelsterbach
                                                                                                                                                             Sindlingen

                                                                                                                                              Hattersheim
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        A3

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                               Gravenbruch
                                                                                                                                             Okriftel
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      Heusenstamm
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Meu-Isenburg
                                                                                                                                              0                            2                     4 Kilometer                Flughafen
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