Primevest transforms the lamp post into smart charging point to facilitate explosive growth of electric cars

The world’s oldest street technology, the lamp post, is being transformed by Primevest Capital Partners and its partners Dutch Charge, Nedal and CityTec into a multifunctional, digital charging point to address the huge shortage of charging points for electric cars across Europe.

The Dutch municipality of Renkum near Arnhem recently became the first ‘smart’ district in Europe after installing this sustainable and adaptable form of street lighting. Other municipalities and cities elsewhere in the Netherlands and beyond are expected to follow suit due to the huge and growing shortage of electric charging points.

At least one million electric vehicles are being sold across Europe on an annual basis and this number is expected to reach over 30 million in the next 10 years, according to data from the International Energy Agency (IEA).

Peter Helfrich, Managing Partner at Primevest Capital Partners, said: “The potential of this market is enormous, particularly in our home markets the Netherlands and Germany, but also in the UK, France and Scandinavia. In the Netherlands alone, we are seeing exponential growth in demand for charging stations for electric vehicles and over 1.7 million charge points will be needed by 2030. Only 45 charge points are being installed a day at present which needs to multiply more than tenfold to 600 daily to meet the current demand. Our partners Dutch Charge, CityTec and Nedal have joined us in responding to these developments and are supplying comprehensive Citycharge lamp posts where modules for electric charging and, in the future, also Internet of Things, camera surveillance and 5G can be integrated.”

Joa Maouche, the alderman for climate and sustainability at the municipality of Renkum, added: “The municipality of Renkum has replaced almost all of its 6,300 lamp posts with the smart, sustainable versions supplied by Primevest CP and its partners. These lamp posts are now being equipped with new functions, such as camera surveillance, and later this autumn the first Citycharge charging stations certified by the Dutch E-Charging Foundation will be added. By adding these new features, we are creating a new form of street lighting that is truly ‘smart’. We are pleased that our municipality has contributed to this development that can help more municipalities to achieve their sustainability targets and combat the growing clutter in our public spaces due to the addition of new types of amenities.”

The number of electric cars in use globally is expected to explode over the next 10 years from 11 million in 2020 to 145 million in 2030, according to IEA estimates. In Europe, Norway (18.1%), Iceland (5.5%) and Sweden (3.7%) lead the way in terms of the market share of electric cars versus total stock. The UK aims to increase the number from 450,000 in 2020 to eight million by 2030. Germany is currently the largest market in Europe for electric cars: by 2020, 14% of all new cars sold were electric and the total number now stands at over 700,000.

Charging points for electric cars are just one of the new types of street furniture being added to public spaces. In the Netherlands, mobile telecom providers need to have access to 5G masts under requirements set by the Dutch economic affairs ministry for participation in the auction for national 5G frequencies. Dutch municipalities are also required to reduce their energy consumption by 55% by 2030 (EU fit for 55) and their CO2 emissions by a similar percentage to comply with the Dutch climate accord. Smart multifunctional lamp posts fitted with LED lighting can make a major contribution to achieving this goal.

Heimen Visser, Fund Manager Communication Infrastructure & Smart Cities at Primevest CP, concluded: “The municipality of Renkum is a pioneer in the Netherlands and perhaps the world with the installation of this smart infrastructure. We expect that other municipalities in the Netherlands, but also elsewhere in Europe, will soon follow Renkum’s example and roll out our multifunctional lamp posts. Our Smart City Netherlands model, which we have developed in collaboration with the Dutch municipalities bank BNG Bank, can easily be scaled up. And thanks to its multifunctional character, our smart masts are also much more sustainable and cheaper to purchase and maintain than the traditional lamp post.”

About Primevest Capital Partners
Primevest Capital Partners is a pan-European investment boutique that specialises in innovative real estate and property investments. At Primevest Capital Partners, our vision is to future-proof our cities by delivering better urban living, connectivity and mobility as we invest across Europe in contemporary, affordable homes, communication infrastructure and car parks. Our investment philosophy and vision are energised by the current trend of urbanisation and the ability to fulfil the modern needs of metropolitan communities, while enhancing the quality and sustainability of people’s lives. From our offices in Utrecht and Berlin, a team of 40 professionals manage €1.9 billion of assets across six sector-focused funds and two individual institutional mandates.

For more information, please contact:
Primevest Capital Partners
Lisette van der Ham
Head of Marketing & Corporate Communications
T: +31 6 832 005 61
lisette.vanderham@primevestcp.com
www.primevestcp.com

Primevest Capital Partners appoints Peter Helfrich and Gaston Hupkens to the Board to accelerate its growth strategy

Pan-European Investment manager Primevest Capital Partners (Primevest CP) has appointed Peter Helfrich as Managing Partner and Gaston Hupkens as Head of Operations and Partner to accelerate its growth in data infrastructure, residential real estate, parking properties, ‘Smart City’ communications and other investment opportunities in related real asset sectors as they arise.

Helfrich joins Primevest CP from PATRIZIA AG where he was Head of Southwest Europe; Country Manager Netherlands and a Senior Managing Director for over seven years. He is also currently a member of the advisory board of Dutch Smart digital car park operator ParkBee and a member of the advisory board of the PATRIZIA Foundation. Prior to this, Helfrich worked and lived in Sweden, Germany and Italy for CBRE Global Investors EMEA and ING Real Estate Investment Management. Hupkens has also moved from PATRIZIA AG where he was Head of Asset Management BeNeLux and Head of Operations & Finance. He has also held positions at ABN AMRO Bank N.V., Bouwfonds IM, Rabo Real Estate Group, Corio N.V. and Deloitte.

Following these appointments, the Board of Primevest CP will comprise of Peter Helfrich, Gaston Hupkens and partner Bart Pierik as Head of Infrastructure. Partners Hans-Peter Renk and Bas van Dongen complete the senior management team, who lead a group of 40 professionals from offices in Utrecht and Berlin. The company has €1.8 billion of assets under management across six sector-focused funds and two individual institutional mandates.

Peter Helfrich, Managing Partner Primevest CP, said: “Primevest sits at the epicentre of the great converging trends in communications and data infrastructure, affordable residential real estate and urban mobility that are defining the emerging ‘Smart City’ landscapes of the future. We have received strong backing from our major shareholder CommonWealth Investments to rapidly scale up and extend the highly successful current business areas through both organic growth and corporate acquisitions, to position the company to target these unprecedented opportunities for our investors.“

Gaston Hupkens, Head of Operations, Primevest CP, concluded: “Our ambition is to be in the vanguard of innovation in providing the infrastructural backbone of the new digital economy, while also integrating the highest levels of sustainability across our real estate investments. Primevest’s prime differentiator is that we sit at the interface between investors, operating companies and municipalities, facilitating interaction and understanding between all these partners and ensuring investment flows into essential upgrades to digital networks and the installation of the superfast broadband highways which are lacking in many of Europe’s cities.”

About Primevest Capital Partners
Primevest Capital Partners is a pan-European investment boutique that specialises in innovative real estate and property investments. At Primevest Capital Partners, our vision is to future-proof our cities by delivering better urban living, connectivity and mobility as we invest across Europe in contemporary, affordable homes, communication infrastructure and car parks. Our investment philosophy and vision are energised by the current trend of urbanisation and the ability to fulfil the modern needs of metropolitan communities, while enhancing the quality and sustainability of people’s lives. From our offices in Utrecht and Berlin, a team of 40 professionals manage €1.8 billion of assets across six sector-focused funds and two individual institutional mandates.

Primevest Capital Partners acquires residential development in Peine, Germany for a south German pension fund

Dutch-German investment manager Primevest Capital Partners has purchased an eight-building residential development in Peine on behalf of a German pension fund. The development, at Gunzelinstraße 12a – 16b, comprises 97 residential units totalling some 7,730 sqm of lettable space.

The seller is Graf Gunzelin UG & Co. KG, a subsidiary of Berlin-based MHMI Immobilien-Verwaltungen GmbH.

Danica Cicmil, Fund & Acquisition Manager at Primevest Capital Partners said: “This development in the growth region of Lower Saxony will offer young families and older people alike attractive and affordable accommodation in modern, purpose-built apartments within a 10-minute walk of Peine’s city-centre amenities. This fundamentally sound investment for our client is supported by forecasts which show that Peine’s 50,000-strong population is expected to grow significantly while the town is currently experiencing a housing shortage.”

Peine is a mid-sized town located some 40 kms east of Hannover and 25 kms to the west of Braunschweig. The Gunzelinstraße development is being constructed on the site of a former indoor swimming pool. The eight, four-storey buildings will incorporate one- to four-room residential units, ranging in size from 40 to 120 sqm, all with balconies or terraces, and accessible by lift. Residents will have access to shared communal gardens and a children’s playground. The property will also include a total of 128 parking bays, 68 of which will be situated in an underground car park. The city centre is 900 metres to the north-east and several supermarkets and schools are located nearby.

The building has been constructed to very high sustainability standards in line with the German KfW-55 regulation, a high standard energy building.

Primevest Capital Partners was advised by law firm CMS Berlin and by DGI Real Estate Management & Advisory GmbH on technical matters. Neopolis Advisory acted as consultant on the transaction. Hannover-based law firm Bethge Rechtsanwaltgesellschaft GmbH acted on behalf of the vendor.

About Primevest Capital Partners
Primevest Capital Partners is a pan-European investment boutique that specializes in innovative real estate and property investments. Due to the extensive industry knowledge with a focus on specialized investment sectors such as parking, telecommunications and affordable, contemporary living, Primevest Capital Partners has developed into a leading provider in these areas. Our top priority is to achieve attractive risk-adjusted returns for our customers. In doing so, we pay attention to sustainable income and value creation. Primevest Capital Partners currently manages assets of €1.8 billion, spread across six sector-specific funds and three individual institutional mandates. Primevest Capital Partners currently has 40 employees at its locations in Utrecht and Berlin.

Primevest Capital Partners and Vodafone to roll out €20 million fiber optic network for 6,000 households

The communications group Vodafone Deutschland and the investment company Primevest Capital Partners announce today that they will jointly equip the city of Hadamar in the Hessian district of Limburg-Weilburg with a state-of-the-art fiber optic network this year.

Dutch-German investment manager Primevest Capital Partners and communications group Vodafone Germany are to roll-out a state-of-the-art fiber optic network in the city of Hadamar in the Hessian district of Limburg-Weilburg. Primevest will finance and build the infrastructure for around €20 million and lease it back to operator Vodafone, which will market and provide ultra-high-speed internet services over the new network.

Bas van Dongen, Communication Infrastructure Partner at Primevest Capital Partners, said: “Germany is one of the world’s leading economies but lags behind other markets in the provision of superfast broadband connectivity, which acts as a drag on productivity, both privately and in business. Primevest’s existing relationship with Vodafone has been expanded by this new agreement, which is our first fiber-to-the-home project with them that also includes private households. We see this as the first of many such projects in partnership with Vodafone, where we are both able to make a real contribution to the modernisation of Germany’s communication infrastructure that has huge untapped potential.”

The installation of the network will start later this year, providing access for some 6,000 households and companies to gigabit-fast internet connections over the next two years. The network will replace existing DSL systems which are unable to support the capacity demands of modern internet use, such as audio and video streaming in working from home and home schooling.

Jürgen Raith, Director of Fiber Optic Marketing and Rollout at Vodafone Germany, said: “Our agreement with Primevest will help move the city of Hadamar from the digital hard shoulder to the gigabit-fast lane. The Covid-19 pandemic clearly shows how important high-performance internet connections are. I am confident that many residents and businesses will recognise this and embrace fiber optic connections since they will improve people’s quality of life and enhance the competitiveness of companies.”

The central districts of Hadamar, Niederhadamar and Faulbach as well as the neighbouring towns of Niederzeuzheim, Oberzeuzheim, Steinbach, Oberweyer and Niederweyer, will be connected to the high-performance network. Hadamar’s north industrial area and the Auf den Sechsmorgen industrial areas in Oberweyer, Am Steinkreuz in Niederhadamar and the industrial area in Niederzeuzheim, will also be included in the network expansion. Vodafone will start pre-marketing in mid-March 2021.

Primevest’s Bas van Dongen, concluded: ”This is Primevest’s 15th investment in communication infrastructure projects since launching our first fund in 2017 and we are now collaborating with eight network operator partners on fiber projects in Germany and the Netherlands. We have already financed some €100 million of projects and together with those under construction our total investment is now over €150 million. Our fund provides investors expert access to this fast-growing alternative asset class. We were one of the first investment managers to recognise the potential that communication networks offer to deliver low-risk and stable income streams, while also enabling better services for the end customer. With our inhouse capabilities and operator network we are well-placed to support investors as they look to diversify their portfolios.”

With the expansion of the fibre optic network in the city of Hadamar, we are opening a new chapter in the cooperation with Vodafone.

Bas van Dongen, Primevest Capital Partners

About Primevest Capital Partners
Primevest Capital Partners is a pan-European investment boutique that specialises in innovative real estate and property investments. Due to its extensive industry knowledge with a focus on specialized investment sectors such as parking, telecommunications and affordable, contemporary living, Primevest Capital Partners has developed into a leading provider in these areas. Our top priority is to achieve attractive risk-adjusted returns for our customers. In doing so, we pay attention to sustainable income and value creation. Primevest Capital Partners currently manages assets of €1.8 billion, spread across six sector-specific funds and three individual institutional mandates. Primevest Capital Partners currently has 40 employees at its locations in Utrecht and Berlin.

For more information, please contact:
Primevest Capital Partners
Lisette van der Ham
Head of Marketing & Corporate Communications
lisette.vanderham@primevestcp.comcp.com
www.primevestcp.com

About Vodafone Germany
Vodafone is one of the leading telecoms and technology service providers in Germany. Half of all citizens in Germany are Vodafone customers – using Vodafone technology to access the internet, make calls and watch TV; and for connectivity at offices, farms and factories. The Düsseldorf-based company provides a comprehensive portfolio of internet, mobile, fixed and TV services. As digital transformation partner to German business and industry, Vodafone caters to enterprises of all sizes, from startups and SMEs to DAX-listed corporations. Vodafone is the #1 mobile network operator in Germany: no other market player connects more people and machines in Germany via its mobile network. It also has more gigabit fixed network connections and more TV customers in the country than any other German company.

Vodafone Germany employs some 16,000 people and generates total revenue of about €12 billion per year with more than 55 million mobile SIM cards, almost 11 million fixed broadband customers, 14 million TV customers and numerous digital solutions. As a gigabit company, Vodafone is a key contributor to the development of Germany’s infrastructure. Its German cable footprint extends to almost 24 million households and it provides a gigabit service to over 22 million of those. Vodafone intends to provide two-thirds of all German citizens with gigabit connections by 2022. With its 4G network, Vodafone reaches more than 98% of Germany`s households and the Vodafone NB-IoT network for the industrial and business sectors is delivering IoT connectivity on 97% of Germany’s total area. Vodafone has been operating Germany’s first 5G network since mid-2019. Its 5G services will be available to around 15 million people by 2020 and to 30 million people by 2021.

Vodafone Germany is the largest operating company of Vodafone Group, one of the world’s largest telecommunications companies, contributing around 30% of its revenues. Vodafone Group has over 300 million mobile customers, more than 27 million fixed broadband customers, over 22 million TV customers and connects more than 112 million IoT devices worldwide.

Vodafone is connecting people, places and things around the globe to improve lives and create a better future. A focus on sustainable business practices ensures that the technology building tomorrow’s digital world does not come at the cost of our planet. Vodafone uses electricity from renewable sources, is switching to an electric vehicle fleet, has a sustainable supply chain and re-purposes, re-sells or recycles 100% of network waste.

A diversity and inclusion agenda with a wide range of measures is at the heart of the Vodafone culture. It includes support for families, networks for women, fathers and members of the LGBT+ community, as well as diversity training programmes for managers. Vodafone is respectful of all individuals, regardless of nationality, disability, age, religious or sexual orientation, gender identity, belief or cultural background.

More information: www.vodafone-deutschland.de or www.vodafone.com

Primevest Capital Partners acquires two multi-storey car parks in Vienna from Rhomberg Bau for 20 million euros

The Dutch-German investment manager Primevest Capital Partners has acquired two newly built multi-storey car parks, a supermarket and a commercial unit in Vienna for around 20 million euros for its Primevest European Parking Fund IV.

The seller is the client Rhomberg Bau GmbH, who also built the objects together with Goldbeck Rhomberg as general contractor. The multi-storey car parks “Hauptbahnhof Ost 1&2” with more than 800 parking spaces are located in Vienna’s new Sonnwendviertel district and are leased on a long-term basis to the car park operator Goldbeck Parking. The supermarket is a Hofer branch (Aldi Group), the commercial unit is rented by the bouldering hall operator Boulderbar. Additional income is generated from leases for communication antennas and solar systems on the roof of the parking garages.

The Sonnwendviertel is one of Vienna’s largest revitalization projects. It is located in the “Favoriten” district, one of the most densely populated parts of the city with over 200,000 inhabitants. On the site of the former Südbahnhof, 5,500 new apartments for 13,000 residents, offices and hotels as well as social and cultural facilities were built here. As the main parking spaces for the district, the two multi-storey car parks “Hauptbahnhof Ost 1&2” will primarily cover local needs. In the future, they could also support the new Vienna Central Station, which opened in 2014 and is only a 10-minute walk away, as well as the districts on the other side of the railway line, which can be reached via a new pedestrian bridge.

Bas Magielse, fund manager of Primevest Capital Partners, said: “The traditional role of multi-storey car parks as a pure parking space for vehicles is changing. They are evolving into centres with a wider range of services and are increasingly being integrated into urban infrastructure as the availability of expensive street parking spaces decreases and municipalities restrict vehicle access to city centres. Consumers benefit from the additional services these centers can provide, from electric car charging stations to e-commerce pickup services. With the supermarket and the additional services, this acquisition will become a key service centre for the Sonnwendviertel.”

Martin Summer, Managing Director of Rhomberg Bau in Vienna, explained: “Parking garages are very purpose-driven in their function, but that hasn’t stopped us from attaching great importance to aesthetics and sustainability in the development of this project. The goal was to make our investment ‘future-proof’ by securing and maximizing its value for years to come. The design of the facades, for example, was the result of an architectural competition, and the sides of the multi-storey car parks facing the residential buildings are partially greened. In addition, we have equipped the roof areas with a photovoltaic system that supplies the park operation with electricity and can feed excess energy into the public grid.”

Bas Magielse, fund manager, adds: “Vienna has proven to be one of the most economically consistent cities in Europe, and this property meets exactly the criteria of our investors. This acquisition reinforces our pan-European portfolio of high-quality and sustainable assets, which are in high demand among investors. We remain in acquisition mode and have capital to invest in parking garages across Europe.”

Primevest was advised by Drees & Sommer on the technical aspects, while TPA acted as financial and tax advisor and cmS advised on the legal side.

About Primevest Capital Partners
Primevest Capital Partners is a pan-European investment boutique specializing in innovative real estate and real estate investments. Due to its extensive industry knowledge with a focus on specialized investment areas such as parking, telecommunications and affordable, contemporary housing, Primevest Capital Partners has become a leading provider in these areas. Our ultimate goal is to achieve attractive risk-adjusted returns for our clients. In doing so, we pay attention to sustainable returns and added value. Primevest Capital Partners currently manages €1.8 billion in assets across six sector-specific funds and three individual institutional mandates. Primevest Capital Partners currently employs 40 people in Utrecht and Berlin.

Press contacts:
Primevest
Capital Partners Lisette van
der
Ham Head of Marketing & Corporate Communications lisette.vanderham@primevestcp.com
www.primevestcp.com

About Rhomberg Bau
In the Construction division, the Rhomberg Group acts as a full-service provider and offers solutions and services for all life cycle phases of public and private buildings. This holistic approach ensures the optimization of customer benefits and life cycle costs and also enables the realization of projects that fully meet the criteria of sustainability. Rhomberg Bau’s range of services ranges from planning and project development to residential construction, public and commercial building and civil engineering, conversion and renovation to real estate or business park management. The focus is on user-oriented, ecologically valuable and socially meaningful solutions for living, working or meeting spaces. Rhomberg Bau is active as both a total contractor and a general contractor and realizes turnkey projects.

Press contacts:
Rhomberg Bau
GmbH Torben
Nakoinz Torben.nakoinz@rhomberg.com
www.rhomberg.com

Primevest Capital Partners and ParkBee team up to acquire and operate two smart mobility car parks in Rotterdam

Dutch-German investment manager Primevest Capital Partners and digital car park operator ParkBee have teamed up for the acquisition and operation of two prime car park assets in Rotterdam. Primevest has purchased the asset for around €14 million for its Primevest European Parking Fund IV, while digital car park operator ParkBee will run the daily operations under a long-term lease contract.

The two car parks are located at Wijnstraat 78 & 100, in the heart of Rotterdam’s inner-city business district between its main shopping area and the old port of Rotterdam, with the central business district, Maritime Museum, the Markthal and Cube Houses among the attractions served by the car parks.

Rutger Schuur, CIO at ParkBee said: “The assets offer ample opportunity for improved performance as digitalisation helps us to increase use by directing drivers to empty spaces. With our smart systems we help customers to find the most convenient parking location for the most attractive price across our large network of digitally connected garages. We see substantial opportunities in Rotterdam to increase turnover by encouraging short term use from the adjacent business district as well as from visitors to the city and local residents. Centrally-located car parks and knowledgeable owners such as Primevest allow us to deliver a better all-round user experience and make optimal use of existing urban infrastructures such as the Wijnstraat car parks.”

Bas Magielse: Fund Manager Primevest: “Digitalisation adds value to an asset, making off-street parking quick, cheap and easy as smart operators like ParkBee use technology to direct users to vacant parking bays. Purpose-built car parks reduce the number of vehicles parked on the streets and smart traffic systems lower congestion and pollution thereby making a positive contribution to the environment. This is a win-win for all concerned: from car users to municipalities to operators and investors.”

Primevest has capital available to invest in prime inner city car parks and remains acquisitive. Car parks have proven to be resilient, offering stable long-term cashflows and providing diversification benefits to institutional real estate investors. As a vital part of the infrastructure of cities, their resilience is supported by the trend of removing on street parking to open up public space while keeping cities accessible.

Primevest was advised by technical consultant RPS and law firm CMS NL.

About Primevest Capital Partners
Primevest Capital Partners is a pan-European investment boutique that specializes in innovative real estate and property investments. Due to the extensive industry knowledge with a focus on specialized investment sectors such as parking, telecommunications and affordable, contemporary living, Primevest Capital Partners has developed into a leading provider in these areas. Our top priority is to achieve attractive risk-adjusted returns for our customers. In doing so, we pay attention to sustainable income and value creation. Primevest Capital Partners currently manages assets of €1.8 billion, spread across eight sector-specific funds and three individual institutional mandates. Primevest Capital Partners currently has 40 employees at its locations in Utrecht and Berlin.

For more information, please contact:
Primevest Capital Partners
Lisette van der Ham
Head of Marketing & Corporate Communications
lisette.vanderham@primevestcp.com
www.primevestcp.com

German ‘showcase tech town’ Bretten has its €20 million fibre-optic network completed by BBV, Primevest Capital Partners and ZTE partnership in final phase rollout

A partnership of ZTE Germany, Primevest Capital Partners and German broadband provider Breitbandversorgung Deutschland (BBV) has completed a €20 million roll-out of a fibre-optic cable network.

A partnership of ZTE Germany, Primevest Capital Partners and German broadband provider Breitbandversorgung Deutschland (BBV) has completed a €20 million roll-out of a fibre-optic cable network across Bretten in the Karlsruhe region in the south of Germany, linking more than 3,800 homes and 3,000 buildings and laying 700 kilometres of cables across the city. The final phase of the project added Bretten’s inner-city centre to the network.

Even before the network was expanded, the town of Bretten had become a showcase for the national roll-out of fibre-optic networks and the performance of this new technology in Germany, which has lagged other European economies in the adoption of high-speed broadband infrastructure. The partnership was such a success that it is now being used as a model for the further development of fibre-optic networks elsewhere in the country.

Kersten Walter, Senior Asset Manager at Primevest Capital Partners, said: “This was our first investment with ZTE and BBV where German insurance companies and pension funds are providing long-term capital through the Primevest Communication Infrastructure Fund, to enable local network operators expand their fibre-optic networks. A key factor for the successful completion of this first project was the strong commitment of BBV, ZTE and Primevest Capital Partners to the partnership.”

Technology provider ZTE, investment manager Primevest Capital Partners and national network operator BBV Deutschland formed a partnership in the summer of 2017 to build a high-performance gigabit network in the city of Bretten. The first two phases connected five districts to the fibre-optic network, providing high-speed broadband access to private households, businesses, schools and public institutions from mid-2018. The final phase, now completed, encompassed Bretten’s inner-city centre and presented the partners with new challenges, including the need to relocate the city’s pedestrian zone and protect its historic houses. The three partners managed to complete the project on time despite these hurdles.

Manfred Maschek, Managing Director of BBV, said: “In February 2019 we became the very first network operator in Germany to provide symmetrical services ranging from 100 Mbit per second to 1 Gbit per second to private and business customers across Bretten. With the completion of the final phase, we have added a large number of new end-customers that far exceeded our expectations.”

The project represents technology provider ZTE’s entry into a broader Fibre-To-The-Home (FTTH) partnership and has acted as a catalyst for other projects in cooperation with BBV and Primevest.
Yang Lin, Managing Director of ZTE Deutschland GmbH, explained: “We will continue to concentrate on expanding fibre-optic networks across Germany. We have built up expertise though the installation of smaller networks in semi-rural areas that will enable us to carry out projects on a larger scale and with larger network operators in the future.”

ZTE was the general contractor for the project in the Karlsruhe district, supplying the active network components as well as expanding the entire passive network for Bretten. ZTE’s technology consists of Optical Line Terminals (OLTs) and Optical Network Terminations (ONTs), with the OLTs serving as nodes between the main network and the last mile to the customer.

About Primevest Investment Management
Primevest Capital Partners is a pan-European investment boutique that delivers innovative investment strategies in the asset classes of parking, telecommunications and contemporary and affordable living. We are one of the leading providers in Europe in our core business areas. We aim to provide our customers with attractive and sustainable returns. Primevest Capital Partners, with around 30 employees in Utrecht / the Netherlands and Berlin, Germany, currently manages assets of €1.7 billion, spread over eight sector-specific funds and three individual institutional mandates.

Press contact Primevest Capital Partners
Lisette van der Ham
Director of Marketing and Corporate Communications
+ 31683200561
lisette.vanderham@primevestcp.com
www.primevestcp.com

About BBV Germany
Broadband provider Breitbandversorgung Deutschland (BBV) operates nationwide through regional companies focusing on rolling out global Internet services via Fibre-To-The-Home (FTTH) networks connecting residential and business customers in districts throughout the country. The company belongs to UK-based Infracapital, a financially strong firm that invests in the sustainable development and expansion of critical digital infrastructure via fund vehicles. The company focuses on the large-scale expansion of FTTH in underserved areas in semi-rural regions where broadband connections are inadequate. The company’s core competencies include planning, building and marketing high-performance and future-oriented FTTH products and networks. It is one of Germany’s private-sector pioneers with a reputation for being innovative. The company was the very first Internet provider to facilitate connectivity across a wide range of gigabits at symmetrical speeds as a standard. BBV is a member of the broadband and telecommunications associations Buglas, BREKO and VATM.

Further information: www.bbv-deutschland.de
Press contact:
Thomas Fuchs
Press office BBV Germany
Tel: 0171 4483 168 –
Email: presse@bbv-deutschland.de

About ZTE
ZTE is a Chinese technology company that specialises in next-generation telecommunication systems, mobile devices and network solutions for consumers, network operators, companies and public-sector users. The company offers its customers integrated end-to-end solutions and delivers excellent value-added services for the increasingly converging telecommunications and information technology sectors. ZTE is listed on the Hong Kong and Shenzhen stock exchanges. Its products and services are sold to over 500 operators in more than 160 countries. ZTE invests 10% of its annual sales on research and development and also participates as a leading player in a number of industry organisations for the development of international standards. ZTE is committed to corporate social responsibility as part of its CSR strategy and is a member of the UN Global Compact network.

For more information about the company, go to: www.zte.com.cn.

Pressekontakt ZTE
ZTE Deutschland GmbH
Susanne Baumann
Fritz-Vomfelde-Str. 26-30
40547 Düsseldorf
Tel. +49 163 8199405
E-Mail: susanne.baumann@zte.com.cn

Presseagentur ZTE
LEWIS Communications
Lisa Brandes/Ann-Christin Schiller
Johannstraße 1
40476 Düsseldorf
Tel. +49 (0) 211 8824 7601
E-Mail: ZTEGermany@teamlewis.com

Primevest Capital Partners and T-Mobile Extend Super-Fast Internet to another 45,000 Households in Rotterdam in Third Dutch City Deal

Rotterdam has become the third large city in the Netherlands where telecoms provider T-Mobile and Smart Cities investor Primevest Capital Partners are teaming up to offer 45,000 households access to super-fast Internet services by the end of 2021.

This will bring the total number of Dutch households that T-Mobile is connecting with superfast Internet connections via Primevest’s fibre-optic networks to 130,000 next year, following similar deals by the consortium in the past 18 months in The Hague and Eindhoven. The networks in Rotterdam will be built by partners Van Gelder Telecom and VolkerWessels Telecom.

Under the latest deal, the Primevest Communication Infrastructure Fund (PCIF) has reached agreement in principle with local network builder L2Fiber to take over its existing network in the Rotterdam district of Kralingen and to double its reach to approximately 15,000 households. As PCIF’s main client, T-Mobile will lease the fibre-optic network from the fund to offer superfast Internet services and open it up to other providers. In addition, Primevest and T-Mobile will start rolling out a new fibre-optic network in the Rotterdam district of IJsselmonde.

The Covid-19 crisis has clearly shown that the winning cities of the future will be those with the best Internet infrastructure that allows their digitalised economies to stay a step ahead of the rest, Barbara Kathmann, Rotterdam Municipality’s Alderman for Economic Affairs, said: “An Internet connection has become a basic need at home, as self-evident as water or electricity. Residents of Rotterdam must be able to count on fast, safe and reliable connections and a wide choice of Internet services. During the Covid-19 lockdowns, a good Internet connection has become crucial for everybody in Rotterdam who has had to work from home, as well as for the healthcare sector and businesses and retailers who offer their products online. I am delighted that the T-Mobile and Primevest Capital Partners consortium is allowing more Rotterdam households and entrepreneurs to benefit from superfast Internet. This deal brings us closer to our goal to connect all of Rotterdam to a fibre-optic network within the next five years. In Kralingen, the consortium is also providing a great solution in terms of completing the project started by L2Fiber in 2018.”

The deal to take over and extend Rotterdam’s fibre-optic network will enable T-Mobile to offer local resident access to the internet at speeds of up to 1 Gigabit per second (Gbps) at the lowest possible price. T-Mobile customers that already have an Unlimited T-Mobile mobile subscription will pay only €25 per month for super-fast Internet at home. The first users in Rotterdam will be connected in the spring of 2021. Van Gelder Telecom and VolkerWessels Telecom will construct the fibre-optic networks in Rotterdam for PCIF and be responsible for the long-term maintenance. The companies make use of an innovative installation method in which cables are laid up to five times faster than standard techniques thereby causing less inconvenience in the local environment.

PCIF has invested nearly €100 million from long-term pension fund and insurer institutional investors and has a further €50 million of investments currently under construction. PCIF is targeting additional equity commitments in the coming period for institutional investors. The fund invests in communication infrastructure, with a focus on assets in Germany, the Netherlands, Austria and Belgium, and is targeting total assets under management of between €500 to €600 million with 70% invested in fibre optic networks and 30% in traffic aggregation points and data centres.

About Primevest Capital Partners
Primevest Capital Partners is a pan-European investment boutique that specializes in innovative real estate and property investments. Due to the extensive industry knowledge with a focus on specialized investment sectors such as parking, telecommunications and affordable, contemporary living, Primevest Capital Partners has developed into a leading provider in these areas. Our top priority is to achieve attractive risk-adjusted returns for our customers. In doing so, we pay attention to sustainable income and value creation. Primevest Capital Partners currently manages assets of €1.7 billion, spread across eight sector-specific funds and three individual institutional mandates. Primevest Capital Partners currently has 40 employees at its locations in Utrecht and Berlin.

For more information, please contact:
Primevest Capital Partners
Lisette van der Ham
Head of Marketing & Corporate Communications
lisette.vanderham@primevestcp.com
www.primevestcp.com

Primevest Capital Partners acquires 86 subsidised apartments in ‘My Smart City Graz’ for € 18.5 mln

Primevest Capital Partners has purchased a residential development for approximately € 18.5 million in My Smart City Graz, Austria on behalf of a German pension fund.

The project, located on Waagner-Biro-Strasse and the corner of Dreierschützengasse, comprises 86 subsidised apartments and two commercial units, totalling some 5,200 sqm of lettable space.

Patrick Müller, Fund & Acquisition Manager, Primevest Capital Partners, said: “We have been championing the delivery of affordable, modern residential accommodation across Europe for a number of years and this development in My Smart City Graz is a perfect example of the future of housing. It also fully matches our German partner’s long-term vision to provide sustainable low-cost housing in cities that have strong future growth prospects.”

The project is being developed by DI Jörg Jandl GmbH and the Haring Group and will be completed by 2022. The 2,730 sqm site will incorporate 54 underground parking bays, charging stations for electric cars and space for 160 bicycles. The main train station and the city centre will be a few minutes away once the new tram line, currently under construction, comes into operation.

‘My Smart City Graz’ is emerging on the site of a former industrial area north of the main train station. It is a well thought out urban planning concept characterised by a balanced mix of space and good connections to the established surrounding neighbourhood. The scheme includes new residential, office and business accommodation and is being developed under ‘Smart City’ principles that combine sustainable technologies, flexible mobility solutions and renewable energy supply.

Graz, Austria’s second-largest city, has a population of 329,000 and is the economic, scientific and cultural hub of the southeast of the country. The city has eight universities serving around 60,000 students. Known as the capital of the Austrian automotive industry, Graz also has thriving creative and service sectors and is a leading centre for environmental technology and renewable energy.

The advisors to the transaction were COMFORT Austria GmbH and TOP Consulting GmbH, legal firm SCWP Schindhelm, auditors BDO and technical consultants Drees & Sommer.

About Primevest Capital Partners
Primevest Capital Partners is a pan-European investment boutique that specializes in innovative real estate and property investments. Due to the extensive industry knowledge with a focus on specialized investment sectors such as parking, telecommunications and affordable, contemporary living, Primevest Capital Partners has developed into a leading provider in these areas. Our top priority is to achieve attractive risk-adjusted returns for our customers. In doing so, we pay attention to sustainable income and value creation. Primevest Capital Partners currently manages assets of €1.7 billion, spread across eight sector-specific funds and three individual institutional mandates. Primevest Capital Partners currently has 40 employees at its locations in Utrecht and Berlin.

For more information, please contact:
Primevest Capital Partners
Lisette van der Ham
Head of Marketing & Corporate Communications
lisette.vanderham@primevestcp.com
www.primevestcp.com

Primevest Capital Partners buys €16.5 mln asset in Tilburg

Dutch-German investment manager Primevest Capital Partners has acquired the ‘Heuvelpoort’ multi-storey car park in Tilburg in the Netherlands for €16.5 million from Tilburg Centrum OG B.V.

This acquisition, for the Primevest European Parking Fund IV, brings Primevest’s total car park assets under management to over €1.0 billion and confirms its position as the largest investor in this specialist property asset class in Europe.

Heuvelpoort is located in Tilburg’s city centre and has 375 parking spaces spread over a ground floor and 11 split levels above. The property was built in the 1980s and was renovated and expanded in 2017. Primevest is to lease the car park back to the current owner/operator who will continue to optimize its performance.

Ruud Roosen, Partner, Primevest Capital Partners, says: “Well-located, inner city car parks make resilient investments and Heuvelpoort is a good example. It is set in a prime location close to Tilburg’s main shopping area, which according to InRetail is proving to be one of the Netherlands most robust city centres during the Covid-19 pandemic. There are also a theatre, Pathé cinema and Mercure hotel nearby, all of which ensure that the car park is in use 24 hours per day.”

Tilburg is the seventh most densely populated city in the Netherlands with 220,000 inhabitants and one of the country’s 12 university cities with 30,000 students. It is in the southern province of Noord-Brabant, near to the Belgium border, and as such is a major logistics hub serving Decathlon, Tesla, Bijenkorf, CocaCola, Sony, and Samsung amongst others. Tilburg was recently named the ‘Logistics Hot Spot’ of the Netherlands by Logistiek.nl. The strength of the city’s economy is underpinned by a large variety of industries, including the transportation, chemical, medical, food and education sectors and the presence of many large Dutch and international retail chains underpins the resilience of Tilburg’s central retail district.

Bas Magielse, Fund Manager, concluded: “The property in Tilburg represents the 49th car park in the low risk, income producing portfolio that we have assembled and manage for our investors. Being able to secure this opportunity in a highly competitive market demonstrates the strength of our network and local market knowledge. We have ready equity to invest in similar opportunities to Tilburg across European markets.”

Primevest was advised by RPS, Deloitte and CMS NL.

About Primevest Capital Partners
Primevest Capital Partners is a pan-European investment boutique that specializes in innovative real estate and property investments. Due to the extensive industry knowledge with a focus on specialized investment sectors such as parking, telecommunications and affordable, contemporary living, Primevest Capital Partners has developed into a leading provider in these areas. Our top priority is to achieve attractive risk-adjusted returns for our customers. In doing so, we pay attention to sustainable income and value creation. Primevest Capital Partners currently manages assets of €1.7 billion, spread across eight sector-specific funds and three individual institutional mandates. Primevest Capital Partners currently has 40 employees at its locations in Utrecht and Berlin.

For more information, please contact:
Primevest Capital Partners
Lisette van der Ham
Head of Marketing & Corporate Communications
lisette.vanderham@primevestcp.com
www.primevestcp.com