List of the 2,000 largest property developers Germany [2023]

List of 7 large property developers in Germany

We present some of the project developers from our list and their exact focus as well as individual projects. This will give you an idea of the companies included in the database.

1. Bauwert AG (Berlin)

This Berlin-based project developer was founded in 1983 by Dr. Jürgen Leibfried and has been operating as an independent group of companies since 2009 and the acquisition of Prudential Financial (2000) and Grove International (2007). The core business is office and retail properties in prime locations in major German cities – especially in Berlin. So-called “Custom Made Developments”, nationwide tailor-made new buildings are also a large part of the business activities. Bauwert AG describes itself as a prime developer and has over 330 buildings and an investment volume of over 5 billion euros. Current projects are residential projects in Berlin-Charlottenburg as well as a residential ensemble “Kronprinzengärten” directly next to the State Opera and the Kronprinzenpalais in Berlin-Mitte.

Update 2022: In April 2022, BAUWERT AG laid the foundation stone for the 140,000sqm Campus Square 1 office complex in Adlershof. The ensemble in Berlin-Johannisdorf consists of six office buildings as well as a hotel and retail space. Berliner Sparkasse has already signed a lease for 24,000sqm.

Update 2023: At the end of 2022, it was announced that the Hungarian WING Group will acquire a majority stake in BAUWERT AG together with the investor Griffin Capital Partners. Against this background, the year 2023 will be characterized by a stronger internationalization of the WING Group and BAUWERT AG will contribute its share to this.

2. Garbe Immobilien-Projekte GmbH (Hamburg)

Garbe Immobilien-Projekte GmbH was founded in 1965 by Bernhard Garbe and is based in Hamburg. The GmbH’s services include the creation of building rights, the sale of condominiums, project management and construction supervision. The acquisition profile focuses on metropolitan areas in Germany: Hamburg, Berlin, Frankfurt, Cologne, Düsseldorf and Bonn. With 660,000 m² of land, 6,300 residential units and 1,350,000 m² of gross floor area, the project developer is one of the most renowned in Germany. In Hamburg in particular, the project developer is responsible for some well-known buildings: the Stadtlagerhaus directly on the Elbe, a new residential and commercial building in Hafencity and the stilwerk building at Altoner Fischmarkt.

Update 2022: Garbe is underlining its rank as a top project developer bringing innovation to the German real estate market with a current project. In Hamburg’s Hafencity, the “Roots” high-rise building is being constructed entirely of wood and will house 180 apartments on 18 floors.

3. ACCUMULATA Real Estate (Munich)

ACCUMULATA Real Estate is a Munich-based project developer that was founded back in 1982. Since then, numerous projects in Munich and beyond have been successfully implemented. “Creating more value” – under this motto, ACCUMULATA develops real estate with a new utilization concept from often already existing building fabric and generates value increases from it. The company participates in the projects as (main) investor, co-investor or as development service provider. For properties in its own portfolio, the company also takes over the management. The investment focus is still on Munich, but the company also invests in a number of other projects in and outside Germany.

One exemplary project is the prestigious TakeOff office building in a prominent location in the trade fair city of Munich-Riem. Here, more than 12,500 square meters of office space were realized in 2013. Another fine example is the Neue Palais an der Oper in Munich. Through new construction and restoration, this project created 23,000 square meters of space for offices, retail, gastronomy, practices and apartments. In Munich-Neuperlach, ACCUMULATA completed the modern Life shopping center back in 2009. The building, which was constructed according to the Feng Shui principle, offers shopping experiences on an area of approximately 8,000 square meters.

4. ACTIV Group (Biberach)

The Baden-Württemberg-based project developer ACTIV Group is based in the Swabian town of Schemmerhofen in the district of Biberach. The company pursues a diversified real estate strategy. It includes the development of retail properties, business parks, retail parks, residential and commercial buildings, senior residences and healthcare properties, hotels and listed buildings. ACTIV Group has various locations in Germany, Switzerland and a branch office in Barcelona.

Some examples of successfully implemented ACTIV Group projects are:

– in Barcelona, the posh Hotel Vincci near the historic old town was thoroughly restored, raised and extended with a successful mix of old and new – one of the most remarkable ACTIV projects;
– in Berlin-Spandau, a former production site was transformed into a spacious business park. The park has a floor area of 46,000 square meters and a rental area of 34,000 square meters;
– in Biberach, ACTIV thoroughly refurbished and renovated the half-timbered house “Untere Schranne” dating from 1549. The property, now used as a residential and commercial building, is considered one of the most beautiful half-timbered buildings in southern Germany;
– In Erding near Munich, an extensive “greenfield” retail park was built for shoppers from the Isar metropolis.

5. Bauwerk Capital (Munich)

A well-known project developer from Munich is Bauwerk Capital GmbH & Co. KG. The developer from the Bavarian capital focuses on residential real estate and mixed-use projects in Munich. An exemplary, innovative project is, for example, the VINZENT wood hybrid complex in Munich Neuhausen. Neighborhood developments are also part of Bauwerk capital’s business. Projects have also been implemented in other German cities, such as the WAVE project in Berlin Friedrichshain.

The list includes top project developers such as Terragon AG, Landmarken AG, Euroboden GmbH, Gerchgroup AG, Consus Real Estate AG, BDP Immobilienentwicklung GmbH, BEOS AG, pantera AG, Pandion AG, GBI Holding AG, Ehret+Klein GmbH, HIH Real Estate GmbH, Garbe Industrial Real Estate GmbH and hundreds of other highly relevant developers and property developers.

6. German Real Estate (Hamburg)

Arne Olofsson set up his own development company in Hamburg in 1992. The birth of GERMAN REAL ESTATE took place in 2006 with the arrival of partner Klaus G. Roelcke. Today a total of four subsidiaries are located under the umbrella of GERMAN REAL ESTATE AG. ABR German Real Estate Development GmbH is responsible for the actual property development business. ABR German Real Estate Portfolio GmbH manages the real estate standing portfolio.

The investment focus of GERMAN REAL ESTATE continues to be in the Hanseatic city. However, the company is also active in Berlin. Generally, residential, office and commercial properties are developed. Here are three examples:

– with the Zollhof Wentorf in Wentorf near Hamburg, a project for a mixed use (commercial and residential) was completed in 2018. The investment volume was EUR 28 million;
– in the Hamburg district Eppendorf, the former Karstadt building was converted into a new district centre in 2007/2008 throughout a property development. Investment volume: approx. EUR 36 million;
– in Berlin, a former factory building, the Kiefholz studios, was converted for a new use. Loft areas and studios were created as part of a newly established start-up centre. Investment volume: approx. EUR 11 million.

7. 6B47 Real Estate Investors (Vienna)

6B47 REAL ESTATE INVESTORS is an Austrian property developer with two subsidiaries in Germany and Poland. The company is based in Vienna. In Germany it has offices in Düsseldorf, Berlin and Munich, in Poland in Warsaw. In Austria, business takes place under the umbrella of two subsidiaries: 6B47 Austria GmbH & Co. KG, which is primarily active as a real estate developer, and 6B47 Wohnbauträger GmbH, that is specialised in the development of residential projects for the low-price segment.

The company was founded in 2009 as a conscious reaction to the financial crisis. The aim was to create a new, solid form of real estate investment with this company. The 6B47 business model is based on the acquisition of real estate and plots of land, their targeted development through construction, rededication and redevelopment as well as successful resale and marketing. The company is 75 percent committed to residential projects and attempts the rest to office properties and business hotels accounting. The investment volume per project is at least EUR 25 million, although the company works also with external investors (family offices, institutional investors, private investors).

The Alpha Tower in Graz is one of the successfully completed 6B47 projects. Therefore, a former student residence in high-rise form was converted into 77 apartments. A German flagship project is the Cascada skyscraper in Frankfurt’s Europaviertel with 191 apartments – successfully sold in 2016.

Picture source: Adrian Degner

Germany’s most important real estate project developers

Real Estate project developers manage and initiate real estate projects of various sizes. German real estate developers buy land plots as well as properties with development potential. Our overview of the top 300, top 800 or top 2,000 real estate project developers from Germany gives a good insight into this booming but opaque industry.

Exclusive database for the german market

Our list offers thousands of data points on the largest real estate project developers and provides information on, among other things, what asset classes are being developed (residential, office, retail, logistics, elderly care, hotels). It also includes a wide range of contact details (address, e-mail, telephone, management). Thus, the database is of great value for real estate investors in Germany, brokers, consultants, construction companies and many other players in the real estate industry.

The list can be sorted with a few clicks according to your individual criteria, e.g: “Show me all real estate project developers based in Baden-Württemberg who invest in office buildings / develop office buildings”. Within one year you will receive free updates of the list.

Map of the players

Below, you will find a map of all the 2,000 project developers in our database. There is a heavy concentration of developers in the South and North-West of Germany. Furthermore, there are also many development firms in important German real estate markets like Hamburg and Berlin.

Detailed information: ranking, asset classes, contact details

Our list is the starting point for any in-depth research in the German real estate project development market. A ranking from “A” to “E” helps to identify the most important developers. “A” property developers are active in several German cities and in some cases internationally. Some of the developed projects have a volume >100M€. The e-project developers on the other hand are often only regionally active and focus on residential developments. Our real estate project developer list offers a cross-section of the entire industry: separate columns contain the development focus. This ranges from residential and office to hotels, retail and healthcare properties. Also useful are the contact details, which are included such as the names of the managing directors, e-mail, postal address and telephone.

Property sales, lead generation, market research and land sales

With our unique comprehensive property developer database, we support customers from various industries. Real estate agents and property owners use the list to sell plots and properties. Real estate project developers are always interested in acquiring buildings with development potential and land plots. Development potential for such developers arises in various situations: dilapidation, additional buildable area, revaluation, need for renovation, etc. Plots of land are always relevant for new projects. In addition, our list is a helpful starting point for lead generation for brokers, suppliers of the construction industry, internet companies, advertising agencies and others.

Development focus: residential real estate

More than 800 of the top 1000 project developers are active in the residential property sector. Different types of buildings are developed for different occasions: condominiums for sale, residential complexes for global sale to institutional investors, memorial buildings, micro apartments, etc. In most cases the project developers are specialized in certain areas. This can be the purchase of apartment buildings with a need of renovation. These are then developed into high-quality condominiums and resold to private individuals. Other property developers purchase plots of land, demolish the remaining building stock and resell the newly created properties as a whole.

Development focus: Office properties

The second most common asset class for project developers is office properties. Here, too, there are different characteristics. Some real estate developers are building office skyscrapers in Frankfurt’s banking metropolis, while others are building office parks in rural areas. Buildings in other asset classes are also frequently purchased and then restructured and developed into office properties. The transaction types vary: sometimes properties are resold as part of a global sale, but in other cases they are simply held in the company’s standing portfolio.

Picture source: Vasili Apostolidis