What is CORPUS SIREO involved in at the moment and what are its future plans? Our company is currently going through a very exciting phase of development. We were sold to Swiss Life Asset Managers mid last year and at the same time were able to significantly increase our earnings. In 2014 we sold third-party properties and own holdings worth €2.3 bln and thus have more than doubled our sales performance. In addition to this, we have completed leases for a total of approximately 743,000 m² of residential and commercial space, which also is a substantial increase over the previous year of around 630,000 m².
We are currently in the process of expanding our acquisitions business on behalf of clients and our owner Swiss Life Asset Managers. With respect to boosting these activities, we have set up a special acquisitions unit on the level of the Executive Board. This is led by our long-time expert in this field, Roy Brümmer, who is not only Head of Acquisitions, but also serves as Managing Director to CORPUS SIREO Asset Management Commercial. In addition to the purchases on behalf of clients and owner, CORPUS SIREO wants to focus on co-investments into national and European-wide commercial and residential portfolios.
How has CORPUS SIREO changed under the ownership of Swiss Life? I would like to speak of evolution rather than change. CORPUS SIREO will continue to be run as an autonomous company and brand under the umbrella of Swiss Life Asset Managers. With the support of the new parent company, CORPUS SIREO is now able to more actively seize market opportunities not only in Germany but also on a pan-European level. We are ready for take-off in 2015.
Do you plan to expand your activities in other European countries? We are already active in several European countries, we manage a total of 89 properties in 9 European countries, which are held in our funds. We are now looking into purchasing portfolios and properties throughout Europe and possibly expanding our office network as well.
With activities in both commercial and residential properties, where do you see more potential? We see potential in both sectors alike. CORPUS SIREO manages properties of all relevant asset-classes with the exception of hotels. We believe that this broad scope is a major reason for our success, because with this diversified set-up and expertise we are able to serve a variety of customers. We currently have a strong focus on healthcare real estate, especially with respect to structuring and launching funds.
In your opinion which trends will dominate the real estate market in the future years? I am of the opinion that new workplace and sustainable energy solutions as well as increasing digitalization and globalization will mainly be responsible for shaping our future market environment.
We can already see the effects of each of these aspects today and will continue to do so. These aspects lead to more specialization with regards to our customers’ needs and our services provided to them, predominately in the sectors asset & investment management.
About COPRUS SIREO
CORPUS SIREO, an independently acting business unit of Swiss Life Asset Managers, is the leading independent real estate asset management services company in Germany. With 550 employees in 11 locations in Germany and Luxembourg, CORPUS SIREO is managing commercial and residential properties covering a total floor space of 15 million m², with a value of approximately €16.3 bln (as of 10/2014), including institutional assets of €2.3 bln.
