Next Phase of Company Growth: GARBE to Focus Its Strengths and Expertise Across Three New Business Units

News 02/10/2024

• Family-owned real estate firm unveils “Sheds, Beds & Infrastructure” as the foundation of its strategy for the next market cycle.
• Operational activities will be organized into three distinct, independently managed business units: “Industrial,” “Reside,” and “Infrastructure”.
• The adjustment of our organisational structure is complemented by the “Capital & Strategy” competence centre, which will lead international capital market engagement, M&A activities, and special market situations.
• All business activities are aimed at balancing economic growth with environmental responsibility.

Hamburg, 2 October 2024 – GARBE, one of Europe’s leading privately-owned real estate companies, is gearing up for its next phase of growth. As part of this initiative, the Hamburg-based firm is realigning its organisational structure to support its corporate strategy, “Sheds, Beds & Infrastructure.”

Building on its core strengths and competencies, GARBE will consolidate its operations into three key business units. The company remains committed to its guiding principle of balancing ecology with economy. Its focus will continue to be on sector-specific expertise, decentralised operations, and a pan-European approach. GARBE aims to deliver maximum value for its tenants and investors through active asset management.

“Our 360-degree management approach—where we serve as developer, operator, and investor—has made us a leader in the logistics sector,” said Christopher Garbe, Managing Partner at GARBE. “We are now focused on expanding that leadership position and replicating our 360-degree model in the residential and urban development markets. At the same time, we’re entering the high-growth infrastructure sector, which is attracting increasing attention from investors. With our approach of combining economy and ecology, which we call ‘Sustainonomics,’ we’re perfectly positioned for the next market cycle.”

Under the new structure, GARBE Industrial will drive the “Sheds” component of the strategy, leveraging its leading market position in industrial, logistics, and grocery retail real estate. The aim is to build a fully integrated platform that spans the entire industrial value chain—from production to the end customer. This includes light industrial, science and tech, traditional logistics, and data center properties.

The GARBE Reside unit will focus on the “Beds & Service Development” strategy. Drawing on 60 years of expertise, GARBE is recognized as a top project developer known for its commitment to quality, innovation, and sustainability. The goal is to establish a fully integrated residential platform that will encompass traditional housing, commercial residential models such as hotels, student housing, corporate living, senior living, and urban development projects. This division will handle both proprietary projects and third-party service developments.

GARBE Infrastructure will concentrate on infrastructure projects, with a focus on renewable energy generation and storage. GARBE expects growing investor interest in this area, particularly as the real estate sector works to meet decarbonisation targets. GARBE Infrastructure will address the shift toward renewable energy, offering solutions for energy transition through sustainable and independent energy use. The firm’s expertise in solar energy, coupled with its project development and management capabilities across 19 locations in 12 countries, positions GARBE well to capitalize on this trend. Additionally, GARBE has strong relationships with like-minded investors across the DACH region.

All three business units are set to become fully integrated, 360-degree real estate platforms with a pan-European footprint.

The adjustment of our organisational structure will be rounded out by GARBE Capital & Strategy, an internal consulting unit that will support the business units as they expand operations. GARBE Capital & Strategy will also take the lead on special projects such as M&A. A core component of this unit is GARBE Institutional Capital, which specializes in bridging the gap between capital markets and real estate investments.

The new structure is expected to be fully implemented by the end of the year.