IKEA is opening new locations in Switzerland after ten years. There will be a planning studio for customers in Chur and a furniture store of the usual size in Riddes. According to the press release , the 565 square meter planning studio with various model rooms is to open in autumn in the Steinbock shopping center in Chur. It should become a kind of mini-IKEA, it is said. The focus is on the consulting and planning service for visitors and business customers.
At the same time, Spreitbach-based IKEA Schweiz AG will soon be submitting the building permit for its tenth store in the Valais municipality of Riddes. After the announcement of a so-called plan and order point in Bern, the expansion of the two locations is the next step in IKEA Switzerland’s expansion strategy. The most modern and greenest IKEA furniture store in Switzerland is to be built in Riddes. The opening is planned for autumn 2023. The shop will offer a wide range of sustainable products and services on around 23,000 square meters with lots of green space.
“It’s now ten years since we opened the last IKEA store in Switzerland in Rothenburg and thus opened up Central Switzerland. With the planning studio in Chur and the store in Riddes, we are opening up two new markets in Switzerland outside of the cities,” Jessica Anderen, CEO and strategy manager at IKEA Switzerland, is quoted as saying. Today, IKEA has nine furniture stores in all parts of the country and a distribution center in Itingen BL, which handles most of the online sales.
According to the press release, the IKEA planning studio is the first format of its kind in Switzerland. Comparable service points are only available in London, Berlin and Oslo. “We are both pleased and proud that IKEA is now offering its new service format based on selected world cities here in Chur of all places,” Frederick Widl, Head of Real Estate at AXA , is quoted as saying as the landlord.
According to a statement by Swiss Prime Site , the rating agency Moody’s has given the Solothurn-based real estate company an A3 rating with a stable outlook. SPS sees a strong credit rating and confirms its own strategic orientation. “The rating expresses Moody’s conviction that the Swiss Prime Site Group is financially and strategically solid as a comprehensive real estate investment platform,” company boss René Zahnd is quoted as saying in the press release. In addition, it opens up “opportunities for the real estate company to raise foreign capital if necessary,” adds CFO Marcel Kucher.
“Four core elements” were mainly relevant for Moody’s A3 rating, according to the statement. The first of these core elements is the very high-quality real estate portfolio worth CHF 12.5 billion, which is well distributed regionally and diversified across stable types of use. In addition, the expansion of the business model to include real estate management and the financial flexibility achieved through the new financing structure were rated positively. As the fourth core element, the communication lists the good economic conditions in Switzerland and its stable real estate market.
Capsule hotel opened a new capsule hotel at Zurich Airport on February 12, the Lucerne-based hotel company announced in a statement. The new hotel, named Alpine Garden, is the company’s third capsule hotel after the hotels in Lucerne and Basel. The capsule hotel at the airport directly opposite Check-in 1 has 144 beds on around 1100 square meters and is the largest hotel of this concept in Europe, according to the announcement.
Prices for an overnight stay in one of the lockable, soundproof sleeping capsules with individual fresh air conditioning start at 65 francs. Six of the sleeping pods are barrier-free, one sleeping pod is wheelchair accessible. Meeting zones, a small wellness area, co-working spaces and a bar with breakfast options are also available to guests.
For the inner workings of the hotel, capsule hotel cooperated with the Swiss nature photographer Fabio Zingg . His images give the sleeping pods and common areas an Alpine Garden theme. “With the design of this innovative hotel, I can bring travelers closer to the most beautiful aspects of Swiss nature and at the same time give them an unforgettable experience,” Zingg said in the statement.
Flughafen Zürich AG is also pleased with the opening of the new capsule hotel. “The capsule hotel directly opposite Check-in 1 ideally complements the existing accommodation options at the airport,” explains Lydia Naef, Head of Property & Portfolio Management at Flughafen Zürich AG, in the press release. Peter Schiffhauer, VRP capsule services AG, relies on being able to meet the needs of national and international guests “with the unique design concept, vibe and overnight prices from 65 francs”.
Our homepage immo-invest.ch went online about a year ago. Fortunately, we have been able to continuously increase traffic over the past ten months. From April 2021 to January 2022, we recorded a total of 328,660 website hits and 1.1 million clicks.
The increasing number of readers and our currently around 50,000 newsletter subscribers are the reason for us to further optimize our online presence. The layout has been revised so that the menu is now more intuitive; the individual categories are divided more broadly. All articles can be accessed in German, English, French and Italian.
In addition to the well-known print subscriptions, online subscriptions are now also available.
The best teams in the new "Swiss Plaster + Paint Prize for Architecture and Crafts" were honored at the headquarters of the Swiss Association of Painters and Plasterers SMGV in Wallisellen ZH. Due to Corona, the February 2021 award ceremony was only possible online. The physical award ceremony has now been made up for on a smaller scale: around 35 award winners, jury members, sponsors and representatives from the construction industry honored the winning teams, whose projects help render and paint to receive the attention they deserve.
From the house to the monastery A total of 37 exciting projects from all over Switzerland with a focus on facade or interior design were submitted for the first award. The prize money totaling CHF 35,000, sponsored by the building materials manufacturer Saint-Gobain Weber, went to the following projects: The Haus Holdergasse project (Vaduz FL) won gold in the rendered façade/color design category and bronze in the interior design category. Silver and bronze in the rendered façade/color scheme category went to the Maria Opferung Monastery (Zug) and Bâtiment Codha Ecoquartier Jonction Genève projects. The school building at Ekkarthof (Lengwil TG) received gold for the interior design, silver went to the Hofcafé Rathaus zum Äusseren Stand (Bern). The Oberzelg residential development (Winterthur-Sennhof ZH) won the special prize for the overall effect of plaster and paint, and the Iseli family home in Abtwil SG received the audience prize.
For an excellent cooperation The Swiss Association of Painters and Plasterers SMGV has launched the "Swiss Prize Plaster + Paint" together with the Lucerne Fair 2020. The award is a further development of the "Paint – Plaster – Insulation" innovation competition that was successfully held in 2015 and 2018 as part of the appli-tech trade fair. The new prize puts the focus even more strongly on the interdisciplinary: It is intended to promote cooperation between planners and craftsmen from the painting and plastering trades and honors completed buildings and room concepts that are characterized by a differentiated and high-quality handling of plaster and plaster color are embossed. Plaster and color are not only decisive for the overall aesthetics of a building, but also have to meet high technical, energy, building physics and ecological requirements.
Below are photos of the winning projects and the event. Additional photos can be ordered from kommunikation@smgv.ch.
Sika is positioning itself for further dynamic growth in Tanzania and the Republic of Ivory Coast. The company has moved into a new location in the East African economic center of Dar es Salaam. There, the Zug-based company now also produces mortar and tile adhesive in addition to concrete additives. This shortens the transport routes, according to a press release from the company.
In the Republic of Ivory Coast in the west of the continent, Sika has doubled the size of its factory premises. With new areas for storage, offices and laboratories in Abidjan, Sika can double the production capacities for tile adhesive and repair mortar in the medium term and expand storage capacities. The neighboring countries of Burkina Faso, Togo, Benin, Mali and Sierra Leone will also be supplied from there.
Sika is committed to “sustainable business activities in Africa” in the long term, Regional Manager EMEA, Ivo Schädler, is quoted as saying. “At both locations, we produce high-quality solutions that are used for large infrastructure projects.” As examples, he cites the metro project and the expansion of the seaport in Abidjan, the Standard Gauge Railway and the Julius Nyerere hydroelectric power station in Tanzania.
Swiss Life Asset Managers has acquired two office properties in Berlin and Antwerp, an industrial property in the Stuttgart area and a residential property in Oldenburg for the real estate fund Swiss Life REF (CH) European Properties . At the same time, an office property in Oxford was sold at a profit.
The assets held in the fund have thus currently reached a level of almost EUR 715 million. In the persistently low interest rate environment, attractive returns can still be achieved with investments in European real estate, writes Swiss Life Asset Managers. The asset manager plans to carry out another capital increase for the fund in autumn of this year.
In the communication, Swiss Life Asset Managers also communicates its own commitment to sustainability. “Environmental, social and governance factors (ESG) are systematically included in the investment and risk management processes at Swiss Life Asset Managers,” writes the company. Last year, the Swiss Life REF (CH) European Properties achieved 72 percent in the Global Real Estate Sustainability Benchmark and thus received three stars and Green Status, Swiss Life Asset Managers informs. The company signed the United Nations Principles for Sustainable Investment back in 2018.
On Sunday, February 13, the HSG inaugurates its new learning center. Square represents a “prototype of the university of the future” and should serve as a “place for surprising encounters and mutual inspiration”, writes the HSG in a statement . “The new learning and teaching formats that are being developed in Square are intended to inspire the entire university and prepare our students as best as possible for practice,” HSG Rector Bernhard Ehrenzeller is quoted as saying.
Square’s work is based on three pillars that faculty, alumni and students have developed together. On the one hand, the learning center is intended to serve as an experimental field for new formats which, if successful, can be implemented at the HSG and other universities. For the spring semester beginning on February 21, 80 existing courses were selected to be carried out and evaluated in the square.
On the other hand, Square will take on the role of a base camp for an exchange between students, alumni and researchers. The HSG has planned to include personalities from various professions and social groups. Paul Achleitner, Chairman of the Supervisory Board at Deutsche Bank, Gabriele Fischer, Editor-in-Chief and publisher of the German business magazine “Brand eins”, and Federal Chancellor Walter Thurnherr, among others, have confirmed for the spring semester.
Last but not least, Square should also serve as a public space for a critical discourse by and with those who are not directly connected to the HSG. In order to attract residents of St.Gallen and guests from near and far, Square wants to present itself as a marketplace with an open atmosphere. Music, barista coffee and beer brewed especially for Square are also offered.
The acquisitions from the previous year contributed to earnings for the whole year for the first time. This led to an 8.2% increase in rental income from CHF 38.8 million to CHF 42.0 million. The market value of the real estate portfolio increased by 0.8% to CHF 750 million at the end of the previous year. This increase in market value was mainly achieved through letting successes and dedicated asset management. Due to various acquisitions in the 2020 financial year and the associated one-off increases in value, last year’s investment return was 6.9%. Since there were no acquisitions in 2021, correspondingly fewer revaluations were achieved with slightly higher net returns, resulting in an investment return of 5.4% in 2021.
As of December 31, 2021, the fund comprised 35 properties with a total rentable area of over 300,000m2. Further information on the HSC Fund can be found in the factsheet as of December 31, 2021. The annual report will be published on March 15, 2022.
As of February 1, Halter AG took over the Futura Towers in Lupfig from Wisca Immo SA . According to a press release from the Schliere-based real estate developer and new owner, the two buildings with almost 25,000 square meters of commercial, production and storage space are to become a multifunctional center for teaching, research, manufacturing, leisure facilities and gastronomy. This should be repositioned under the brand name Futurama. The property, completed in 1992, has eleven upper floors and three lower floors with 287 parking spaces and 30 additional outdoor parking spaces.
Futurama stands for a modern working world of short distances for teaching and research institutes, industrial production as well as office and service companies, says Halter Managing Director Andreas Campi, who is responsible for developments. “We will attach particular importance to the quality of stay and create additional leisure facilities and gastronomy offers,” Campi continues.
The location is directly connected to public transport, a five-minute walk from the Lupfig train station. There is also a good connection to the A1/3 motorway with two motorway junctions, according to the statement. Futurama is in the immediate vicinity of green.ch’s Zurich-West campus data center.
The takeover of the Futura Towers by Halter “ignites the great hope that life will finally come into being in the properties, which have mostly been unused for almost 30 years,” said Richard Plüss, the mayor of the Lupfig municipality.
Ina Invest has completely taken over the Ceres Group. The real estate company based in Opfikon is the majority owner of the Ceres Group based in Pratteln, according to a press release .
The heart of the acquisition is the Buss site at Pratteln station with the Bredella development project. The commercial and industrial park with an area of more than 80,000 square meters is to be converted into a city district with 70 percent residential space and 30 percent commercial space over the next 20 years. Ina Invest wants to build more than 1000 apartments there.
The transaction was announced on December 16, 2021. Part of the purchase price, about which confidentiality was agreed, was paid by Ina Invest in treasury shares. In addition, 886,656 titles were issued. After completion of the transaction, Ina Invest’s share capital will be around CHF 292,000, divided into 9.75 million registered shares.
According to a press release , the new construction projects and first occupancy platforms operated by Lucerne-based Neubau Portal AG and Engel & Völkers Wohnen Schweiz AG from Zug are joining forces in the highly sought-after new construction sector. The partnership aims to give customers faster access to the new property they want. The declining construction activity cannot keep up to cover the increasing demand for new properties. In addition, as a result of unqualified inquiries for Engel & Völkers, there is a high level of processing work, which often does not lead to the conclusion of a purchase.
According to Engel & Völkers, the demand for home ownership is unbroken. Inquiries about new properties have the edge. This would also be underpinned by the figures from the Credit Suisse Real Estate Monitor for the third quarter of 2021. In order to close the gap in demand, Engel & Völkers wants to give its customers access to exclusive real estate through the partnership. With paid subscriptions, customers of Neubau Portal AG are offered around 150 to 200 new construction projects every month that do not appear on any other portal. The globally active broker of residential and commercial real estate wants to increase its customers’ chances of success and serve inquiries promptly.
According to the company, Engel & Völkers has been a market expert for the brokerage of high-quality residential and commercial real estate as well as yachts and aircraft in the premium segment for over 40 years with over 900 locations in more than 30 countries.
Bern, January 18, 2022: Novosan AG was acquired by Spycher Group Holding AG at the beginning of 2021. Now, one year after the takeover and the successfully implemented corporate restructuring, Novosan AG is returning to its roots. With retrospective effect from the beginning of January 2022, the fire and water damage specialist will go to the experienced industrial specialist Martin Schweizer.
The life partner of company co-founder Deneshini Santschi takes over the share package of the Spycher Group and the operational management of Novosan AG. The founder Hanspeter Santschi keeps his company shares and remains with the company.
Since 2021, Novosan AG has been restructured by those responsible at Spycher Group Holding AG. New business areas were also created and the structures adjusted. The renovators were thus able to arm Novosan AG for the future.
The makers of the Bern company have been carrying out fire and water damage restoration for years and are also popular and proven in drying, electrical and industrial renovation, odor neutralization and special cleaning. In the event of damage, the Novosan AG team is always on hand immediately.
The Spycher Group will retain the two newly created business areas "pollution remediation" and "facility management" of Novosan AG under a new name. The two business areas now form PuraTec GmbH and are based at Ey 9 in Ittigen. PuraTec GmbH perfectly complements the company portfolio of Spycher Group Holding AG and offers those responsible for it the opportunity to further expand their comprehensive real estate services.
Novosan AG
Novosan AG, founded by Hanspeter Santschi in 1992, became a successful fire and water damage restoration company under the joint management of Deneshini and Hanspeter Santschi. Far beyond the Bern region, the Novosan AG team is on the spot immediately after damage, to save what can be repaired with care and respect, to limit the damage and to protect property and cherished objects. For those who have suffered damage and their insurance companies, rehabilitation is often more ecological and economical than replacement. In addition to fire and water damage restoration, the team also specializes in electrical and industrial renovation, odor neutralization, drying and special cleaning. novosan.ch
The PuraTec GmbH
Shortly after the takeover of Novosan AG by Spycher Group Holding AG, Novosan harmful substances GmbH was set up together with its managing director, Pascal Meier. In addition, the Novosan Facility Management division was created. PuraTec GmbH, which also takes over the former Novosan Facility Management department, emerges from Novosan harmful substances GmbH. PuraTec pollutants specializes in analyzes and pollutant remediation for construction pollutants such as asbestos, PCB and PAH. PuraTec Facility Management, in turn, offers a wide range of services related to house maintenance and property services. puratec.ch
The Spycher Group Holding AG
The Spycher Group holds subsidiaries and holdings in the construction industry, in communications and in the tourism industry. In the construction industry, these are Maler Pfister AG, Intertapis AG, Fritschi Fensterbau AG, Akzent Küchen GmbH and GIO CERAMICA GmbH. The communications division includes the companies Prolith AG, Werbehorst and Witschi + Partner AG. In tourism it is Belpmoos Reisen AG. spychergroup.ch
Press Office Spycher Group Holding AG / Novosan AG / PuraTec GmbH
The three Bern companies BEKB , ewb and GVB have launched the myky website. Its aim is to offer homeowners expert knowledge and services from a single source on the platform, according to a media release . Myky stand for my key, my key.
First of all, the platform offers an interactive renovation planner. This should help to find and implement meaningful renovation measures. “Customers have an overview of the energetic state of their home at all times and can plan the renovation measures holistically and in a way that optimizes costs,” says the press release.
The initiators hope that users will be actively involved in the further development of the platform. It is desirable that homeowners, investors and companies network with one another and “actively participate in the development of the home universe with their own inputs, questions and requests”.
For companies, myky should offer the opportunity to maintain customer relationships. “The myky project helps us, for example, to support the owners on their way to sustainably refurbished homes in all financial matters and beyond,” said Armin Brun, CEO of BEKB, in the media release.
Implenia will build a 1.2 kilometer long tunnel for Wärme Hamburg , the construction and real estate company from Opfikon informs in a press release . The tunnel is to connect the north of Hamburg to a new heating network. To do this, it will cross under the Elbe around 2 kilometers west of the Elbe tunnel for the motorway.
The work is divided into two phases, with the planning phase starting in October. Implenia has now received the order for further planning and construction work from the beginning of 2022, according to the announcement. The total order volume there is estimated at around 75 million francs.
The work should be completed by the first quarter of 2025. To this end, Implenia will first create diaphragm walls for the start and finish shafts with a depth of up to 42 meters. A tunnel measuring 1.16 kilometers long and around 4.5 meters in diameter is then to be drilled between them and lined with precast concrete elements. Implenia is also responsible for planning and installing the operating technology for the district heating pipeline.
"We are very pleased that we are able to create this large and complex infrastructure project for our customer Wärme Hamburg", Erwin Scherer, Head of Tunneling at Implenia, is quoted in the press release. "The fact that we are making a contribution to improving the sustainability of heat generation gives us additional motivation, because sustainability is an Implenia corporate value that we will also live by in this project."
The Digitalswitzerland initiative aims to attract promising young companies to Switzerland. To this end, it launched the Swiss Market Entry Program, which was carried out for the fourth time this year in cooperation with the European innovation platform Kickstart .
As part of the program, start-ups that are already successful abroad receive an insight into the Swiss ecosystem. Meetings with leading companies, public institutions and innovation programs are organized. The aim is to motivate companies to enter the Swiss market and to support them in doing so.
According to an announcement , 25 start-ups from 16 countries took part in the Swiss Market Entry Program this year. They come not only from European countries, but also from the USA and Israel. A company from New Zealand also took part with CarbonClick . It supports companies in climate protection by giving them carbon offsets.
The 25 start-ups were received in Switzerland on December 6th. The program took place in the Kraftwerk, a former power station that has been converted into a space for innovation in Zurich.
Tenants and landlords have personal access to an online portal. After logging in, the tenants can see whether the washing machine and / or dryer are free, select the devices and book them. Offsetting is also carried out via the system, in which the tenant purchases a credit (online or via a payment slip). There is no longer any need to collect coins or manage washing cards by the caretaker. And when the laundry or the dryer is ready, the tenant receives a message on the cell phone – a great advantage especially when he or she has to climb several floors.
Tenants, administration and owners benefit equally The advantage for tenants is obvious – they benefit from the convenience that the new system offers them. Livit and the owners benefit by being able to preset washing times or block the devices for repairs and maintenance. The administrative effort is reduced and a dashboard provides an overview of usage at a glance. Livit is one of the first companies in Switzerland to completely digitalize billing in communal laundry rooms. For the implementation, Livit has chosen the company ELEKTRON AG as its partner, which has decades of experience in simple and cashless billing in communal laundry rooms. The fully automated, manufacturer-independent billing solutions offer tenants maximum flexibility and minimum administration effort. “On the one hand, it was crucial that the solution was independent of the manufacturers of the devices. On the other hand, there is also the flexibility and real Swissness that ELEKTRON embodies, ”says Adrian von Burg, Head of Business Solutions at Livit.
Hofer Kommunalmanagement AG in Riniken presents three new board members. According to a press release , Otto Müller, mayor of Dietikon until 2018, the former CVP National Councilor Melchior Ehrler and the Limmattal network manager Jürg Hässig are new members of the board of directors. Bruno Hofer, founder of the agency for location promotion, which has also been active in the Limmattal since 2007, becomes Chairman of the Board of Directors.
Hofer is setting a new focus in location development advice, according to the press release. For this purpose, the newly developed method for community management, the systemic community management SysKom, which is now under trademark protection, is being marketed throughout Switzerland. A market analysis has shown that the need for location promotion in Swiss municipalities exists and is growing, Hofer is quoted as saying: "The competition between locations virtually forces us to carry out impact-oriented location promotion."
The methodological approach created by Hofer and his employees in Riniken is described in the media release as a handy method that is intended to help cities, municipalities and regions to experience an upgrade for their location in a simple process, which can also be reflected in rankings. According to Hofer municipal management, the method comprises eight steps from determining the location to spatial planning and location communication. According to the announcement, the end point is location marketing.
According to a statement from Fundamenta Real Estate AG , the Zug-based real estate company generated net rental income totaling 17.9 million francs in the first half of 2021. In a year-on-year comparison, this corresponds to growth of 10.6 percent. The communication cites the completion of projects and the purchase of new properties as growth drivers. In addition, the company was able to reduce its vacancy rate year-on-year by 0.8 percentage points to 2.7 percent.
The net profit in the reporting semester was 12.0 million francs, 36.7 percent more than in the first half of 2020. "The strong profit growth" is mainly due to the good operational development and a revaluation success of 5.3 million francs, writes Fundamenta Real estate. The company also points to a “disproportionate increase in operating expenses”.
The balance sheet value of Fundamenta Real Estate's real estate portfolio exceeded the billion mark for the first time on June 30, 2021. Compared to the end of 2020, the value increased from CHF 991.9 million to a good CHF 1.06 billion. The company acquired three properties in the reporting semester and transferred two projects to the portfolio after completion. As of the reporting date, the portfolio comprised a total of 66 existing properties and two development projects. In July, Fundamenta Real Estate acquired another residential property with 13 residential units in Richterswil ZH.
The travel industry regularly honors the most interesting start-ups. Four young Swiss companies presented themselves at the fourth Travel Start-up Night organized by the Association of Internet Travel Sales (VIR) and the Travel Industry Club. According to a VIR announcement, open2work was able to convince the analog and digital participants. The Zurich start-up will be able to present itself to representatives of the travel industry in German-speaking countries in Frankfurt in December.
The open2work platform enables companies with surplus office space to offer these interested parties for hourly or daily use. According to co-founder and CEO Lionel Ebener, the company, which was founded in 2020, already has 27 locations in Switzerland. There is also interest on the demand side. The platform recorded 30 bookings in the first week of September. "Our customers can now see that we are something special."
The start-up is now looking for funding in the mid six-figure range. “We want to build a professional infrastructure and now make all steps scalable,” says Ebener. open2work wants to become the Airbnb for offices.
Avobis is launching a new real estate platform. Property Captain should cover the entire spectrum from the search to financing, insurance and maintenance to the valuation, purchase or sale of properties, the Zurich-based real estate and mortgage service provider informs in a message . The platform uses artificial intelligence for this purpose. “Property Captain is pursuing the vision of matching the four million residential properties with the individual dream homes of the Swiss population and thus improving satisfaction with the living situation”, Avobis Co-CEO Patrick Schmid is quoted in the press release.
The new Avobis subsidiary is designed as an open platform with an independent network of partners. Around 120 financing partners and 150 brokerage companies were already involved in the launch, Avobis informs. The group was able to win Bank CIC (Schweiz) AG as an innovation partner.
Avobis will bundle all of its own offers for private customers, in particular the corresponding mortgage services, in the new Property Captain Tech AG, is further explained in the announcement. Myriam Reinle is to take over the management of the Proptech. In the press release, Avobis refers to Reinle’s many years of experience in managing online marketplaces and tech start-ups. The designated head of Property Captain was active in the real estate industry for ImmoStreetand Homegate , a company belonging to the TX Group.
Mobiliar and Raiffeisen founded the Liiva joint venture at the beginning of the year. This is now starting with a digital home ownership platform of the same name. Users should be supported with all homeowner needs, according to a media release .
Specifically, Liiva offers various digital tools. For example, it helps when buying a home by clearly displaying suitable advertisements on the largest real estate marketplaces. The platform also offers homeowners, for example, support in assessing the market value, assessing the current condition of the building and in renovations. Functions related to the sale of real estate are also to be activated soon.
"We want to digitally mirror the customer proximity of our parent companies and make life noticeably easier for both existing and future homeowners," said Phil Lojacono, CEO of Liiva, in the press release. Lojacono is also the founder of the Zurich fintech company Advanon, which was taken over by CreditGate24.
The Mobiliar and Raiffeisen want to stir up the traditional real estate market with Liiva and drive the digitization of the industry, it is said. They each have a 50 percent stake in the Zurich-based joint venture. The Chairman of the Board of Directors is Philipp Ries, who also works as Head of EMEA Assistant Distribution Partnership at Google in Zurich. He is also Chairman of the Board of Directors of the holiday provider Hapimag.
According to a message from Implenia , the construction and real estate company from Dietlikon generated total sales of 1.88 billion francs in the first half of 2021. Compared to the same period in the previous year, this corresponds to a decrease of 2.2 percent. The focus on projects with higher margins is mentioned in the communication as a background. Despite the stricter criteria, Implenia's order backlog rose by 7.3 percent year-on-year to CHF 6.6 billion.
Implenia reports an operating result (EBIT) of 40.0 million francs in the reporting semester. Excluding the profit contribution generated by the spin-off Ina Invest, an EBIT of 3.7 million francs was achieved in the first half of the previous year. In 2020 as a whole, Implenia posted an operating loss of 146.8 million francs.
In the previous year, the company initiated a comprehensive transformation process. Business areas that are not part of the core business or are unprofitable are being cut back and risk management is being improved. Implenia has already implemented a number of adjustments to its portfolio. The announcement mentions, among other things, the divestments of business areas in Germany, Austria and Norway.
"The operational measures taken have the first positive effects on the results," André Wyss is quoted in the press release. The Implenia CEO sees his company "well positioned to become an integrated, multinational leading provider of construction and real estate services". Implenia is aiming for an EBIT of more than 100 million francs for the current year as a whole.
The construction company Halter AG opens its new headquarters on December 14th in the former NZZ printing center in Schlieren, which the company itself converted. Before moving to JED , Halter AG was based in Zurich. The abbreviation of the center, which was converted on behalf of the owner Swiss Prime Site, stands for Join. Explore. Dare – connect, discover, dare. In addition to Halter AG, the company sisters Tend AG, Raumgleiter AG, Integral design-build AG, the developer cooperative Wir sind Stadtgarten and MOVEment Systems AG are also moving their headquarters to Schlieren, according to a press release.
The new headquarters of Halter AG will operate under the label The Branch . It is intended to offer new opportunities for collaboration with publicly rentable so-called collab workstations, work lounges and big rooms for individuals and teams. The group describes the horizontal and vertical integration of the real estate world as the driving idea behind The Branch. The Branch Do Tank association is the sponsor. According to the corporate announcement, this is intended to promote the further development of the construction and real estate industry in practice. "The vision of an integrated process landscape in the construction and real estate world must be implemented outside of the conventional entrepreneurial silos and the traditional industry structures", Markus Mettler, CEO of Halter AG, is quoted on the side of The Branch.
The property income increased by 5.4% compared to the same period of the previous year
CHF 28.2 million
Doctorate profit before taxes of CHF 9.5 million in the Aglaya project
The group result amounts to CHF 8.3 million (previous year period: CHF 26.1 million). Without
Revaluation and special effects reduced the group result from CHF 15.4 million.
to CHF 11.9 million
Solid capital base with an equity ratio of 55.7% (54.7% as of December 31, 2019)
At Zug Estates, too, the first half of 2020 was dominated by the challenges we were faced with by the COVID-19 pandemic.
In the real estate sector, many of our tenants had to close their shops during the officially ordered lockdown. This mainly affected our retail tenants and thus the Metalli shopping mall. In the Hotel & Gastronomy segment, the almost complete standstill of international business travel led to a considerable drop in sales.
Fortunately, despite Corona, we were able to hand over all of the remaining 49 condominium units of the Aglaya doctoral project to their new owners on time. In addition, we have already been able to find a partnership-based and conclusive solution for a one-off rent waiver with over 90% of the tenants directly affected by the lockdown.
In the first half of 2020, the group result was CHF 8.3 million, 68.3% below the previous year's period (CHF 26.1 million). Adjusted for revaluation and special effects, the declining figures in the Hotel & Gastronomy segment in particular lead to a reduction in consolidated earnings by 22.7% from CHF 15.4 million to CHF 11.9 million.
Increase in property income with significantly lower hotel and catering sales
The full period of validity of rental contracts, the majority of which were concluded in the previous year, increases property income in the first half of 2020 compared to the same period in the previous year by 5.4% to CHF 28.2 million. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, rent payments of CHF 0.7 million were granted.
Income in the Hotel & Gastronomy segment fell from CHF 8.2 million to CHF 3.6 million. The occupancy of our hotels was temporarily reduced to less than 10% during the lockdown. Since then we have been able to record growth again, but are still well below the corresponding prior-year figures. The gross operating profit (GOP) is only 7.8% compared to 39.3% in the first half of 2019.
The sale of the last 49 condominiums in the Aglaya project resulted in income of CHF 72.5 million and a pre-tax promotion profit of CHF 9.5 million In the Aglaya doctoral project, we were able to generate a return on the investment volume of 17.3%. Since no sales revenue was posted in the same period of the previous year, there was an overall significant increase in operating income from CHF 36.7 million to CHF 105.4 million.
The real estate portfolio was valued a total of CHF 13.6 million lower, which corresponds to around 0.9% of the portfolio value of all investment properties as of June 30, 2020 and is due to a slightly more conservative assessment of the market rents for retail space in general and individual specific office spaces. In the same period of the previous year there was a revaluation gain of CHF 11.5 million.
The average interest rate of the interest-bearing debt capital could be further reduced from 1.4% to 1.3%. As expected, the significantly lower construction activity led to a decrease in capitalizable interest and a corresponding increase in financial expenses from CHF 2.5 million to CHF 3.5 million.
Stable portfolio with a higher vacancy rate
At CHF 1.63 billion, the market value of the portfolio is at the same level as on December 31, 2019. In the first half of 2020, the last building in construction site 1 in Rotkreuz was put into operation. As expected, this increased the vacancy rate from 3.3% as of December 31, 2019 to 5.3% as of June 30, 2020. We invested a total of CHF 16.2 million in our portfolio in the reporting period. The weighted average remaining lease term (WAULT) is 6.7 years (6.8 years as of December 31, 2019), a very high level compared to the industry.
While our residential products are enjoying very good demand in the current market environment, we are currently noticing a certain reluctance due to the COVID-19 pandemic, especially among those who are interested in office space. However, we are confident that the centrally located, high-quality and sustainably operated office space at Zug Estates will continue to be in high demand in the future. Fortunately, the number of inquiries for retail space in Metalli remained stable. We currently have no evidence of a decline.
Solid capital base
With the repayment of funds from the sale of the last apartments in the Aglaya and despite the distribution of a special dividend, the interest-bearing debt capital was reduced from CHF 597.4 million to CHF 587.1 million in the first half of 2020. The average remaining term of this financing is 4.8 years (previous year: 5.2 years). With an equity ratio of 55.7% higher by one percentage point, Zug Estates has a very solid equity base.
Project development with a focus on the Metalli habitat
After the city of Zug and Zug Estates presented the first result of the joint planning process for the “Metalli living space” in March 2020, a feasibility study was carried out with the specialist planners. The alignment project and the application for adapting the two development plans concerned are currently being drawn up with all the relevant documents. The guideline project is to be submitted to the city of Zug in the third quarter of 2020. The legally amended development plans are expected in 2022/23.
After receiving the building permit, the Board of Directors approved the planning phase for the last two buildings (S43 / 45) on the Suurstoffi site in Rotkreuz. The start of construction will be triggered as needed, taking into account the market recovery in connection with COVID-19.
Step-by-step implementation of the sustainability strategy
The connection of the Metalli-Gevierts to the lake water network Circulago could take place according to plan in April 2020. The corresponding contracts for the connection of the remaining 16 properties were signed in December 2019. Commissioning is to take place in stages in 2021, 2023 and 2025. From this point in time, Zug Estates will be able to operate its entire portfolio almost CO2-free.
Public electric charging stations have been available to customers on the Metalli shopping street since the beginning of June. Two of the six stations are high-performance fast charging stations, the first in the city of Zug.
The installation of the CO2-neutral cooling in the rooms of the Parkhotel Zug was completed on schedule in April 2020, which means a significant increase in comfort for the guests from now on.
Outlook 2020
Due to the temporary effect of the rent reductions in connection with COVID-19, we continue to expect increasing rental income for the year as a whole. As a result of increased renovation and maintenance work or lower capitalizable financing costs, real estate expenses and financial expenses will be higher.
In the Hotel & Gastronomy segment, we are assuming that sales and GOP will be well below the previous year's level due to the considerable drop in sales due to the stoppage of international business transactions by our regular customers, although the developments in the second half of the year are difficult to forecast.
Therefore, both an operating result before depreciation and revaluation and a consolidated result without revaluation and special effects are expected to be significantly below the previous year.
Wall coverings in Patina – color WR06, floor coverings in Legno + Color medium WR02.
Wall coverings in Cementoresina Wall – color WR09, floor coverings in Legno + Color small WR09.
Wall coverings in cement crudo Wall – color WR06, floor coverings in Cementocrudo – color WR06.
Emilio Stecher AG has opened a new, innovative exhibition for interior design. In addition to their well-known domestic and foreign natural stones, they also show ceramic and artificial stones today. What particularly fascinates me, however, are the seamless mineral coverings, which are particularly eye-catching in the homely atmosphere with their warm colors. To show such a new product is rather unusual for a traditional natural stone company. How did that happen?
My son Emilio junior, the fourth generation of our company, completed a stage in the construction chemicals company Kerakoll in Sassuolo, Italy. This company distinguishes itself with its Green Label especially for ecological products. Its CEO and owner in the person of Gianluca Sghedoni has already been entrepreneur of the year in Italy twice. Emilio then enthusiastically told me about “Kerakoll Design House”.
Why did you agree to your son and turn the finished plans for your exhibition completely upside down?
Actually, it is not a classic stone. I then drove to Modena with my project manager Luigi Gioiello, who was in charge of this exhibition, to visit this fascinating exhibition in particular. Mr. Gioiello designed the exhibition based on his vast experience, precisely with the architect's wishes, which he advises on a daily basis. The people in charge at Kerakoll explained the philosophy and the entire 10-year development period to us: The atmosphere of the Warm Collection is the result of exclusive and sophisticated research into textures, surfaces and colors in the unmistakable style of the star architect and designer Piero Lissoni. Mr Gioiello was delighted. It was the icing on the cake, which was actually still missing in his finished concept. He was happy to redraw everything and integrated this excellent product in perfect harmony with our traditional stones.
But I also see structures and various surface treatments. How about that?
It is correct, it is also from smooth layers like silk to irregular, naturally grained surfaces. And finally, it is also a guaranteed visual experience: from the mineral grains to the refinement of the classic "handmade" by the processor to the reaction effects of the light, which creates a fascinating and elegant atmosphere.
Can “Kerakoll Design House” be used anywhere, in wet and dry areas for new buildings and renovations?
It is a classic product for exclusive interior design. Since it applies 2-3.5 mm depending on the product, it is the ideal solution in the field of renovations. Existing healthy surfaces can be coated with it. Especially for buildings from the 60s or 70s, which were often equipped with panels, which were made with asbestos containing construction adhesives have been added, there is no need for laborious picking out and disposal with special contamination. The thin application and the subsequent seamless appearance create completely new rooms in a state-of-the-art outfit. It is ingenious that wet rooms can also be equipped. The dream of every architect to design rooms or bathrooms without joints can be realized here. "Kerakoll Design House" is a product that also integrates our natural stones and can therefore be combined in an innovative way. A new interior design style is born.
Is the processing demanding and expensive and which craftsmen do it?
In fact, it is not a product that is sold based on price. In general, the product is used by experienced stucco workers, plasterers or specially trained painters.
After around four years, what kind of assessment can you draw of successfully completed properties? What do your customers, architects and users say about it? Was your concept of the integrated exhibition understood? Are the only 10 colors of the "Kerakoll Design House" sufficient for the high demands of today's discerning customers?
We have received a very good response from our customers and visitors. Our excellent advice, which is really also competent, also contributes to this, and this is very much appreciated by the visitors. The 10 warm and appealing colors are a comprehensive design project, which can also be combined with various surface treatments. The various products such as “Cementoresina”, “Cementoex”, “Cementocrudo”, additional continuous Microresina wall surfaces, which Wallcrete, Wallpaper and Microresina Wall and, thanks to the individual handwriting of the user, have special notes, make the product never seem boring. On the contrary, the additional decorative coatings such as paint, patina, decor up to the Invisible skirting allow huge combination options, which are perfectly coordinated in the “Warm Collection” color palette. This just leads to a total work of art, which the signature of Pie- ro Lissoni and from the very experienced stucco dear Mr. Antonio Pungitore (who has many years of experience in restoration and plastering Work can look back) has been implemented excellently by our customers. Nevertheless, each object is individual and could always be combined to suit the customer's taste. ■
Griesser AG received the Architect's Darling award in the sun and weather protection category. As can be seen from a press release by the company from the St.GallenbodenseeArea, it has won the golden phoenix for the second time. In 2018, too, she was victorious in the first prize awarded at the time.
"The award is confirmation that we are convincing on the market with our products and services," said Urs Neuhauser, CEO of Griesser AG, in the announcement. "We owe the excellent assessment of the architects and planners primarily to our customers, whose projects we have grown to, and to our around 1,300 employees who work daily for the quality of our products and our innovative strength."
More than 400 architects and planners from Switzerland were interviewed for the award of the Architect's Darling Prize. For the determination of the winners in several categories, the aspects of product selection, price-performance ratio, product quality, innovation and optics or design were decisive, as Griesser informs. The Swiss construction documentation is an information platform for construction products, architecture projects and expert profiles.
The ten-year project for the conception, development and construction of the new campus for the Department of Health at the Zurich University of Applied Sciences ( ZHAW ) was completed on schedule on July 1st and is now ready for occupancy. Developer and general contractor Implenia has handed the new building over to the owner SISKA Immobilien AG. As the tenant of the house on Katharina-Sulzer-Platz in Winterthur, the ZHAW can now prepare the building, which Implenia has built in accordance with the Minergie standard, with a rental area of around 19,200 square meters for teaching and research.
The facility will remain closed to the public until the end of July 2020. The "Haus Adeline Favre", named after a midwife from the Val d'Anniviers, will accommodate over 2000 students and around 300 employees from August. The largest Swiss education and research center for occupational and physiotherapy, midwives and nursing will open its doors with an official ceremony on August 28, 2020. An open day will take place on September 26, 2020.
According to the media release , the building was designed by pool architects from Zurich. The area of the property was completely built over, there are six above and two underground floors with classrooms and practice rooms, employee offices, an outpatient clinic and simulation center as well as a cafeteria. Adrian Wyss, Head of Development Division at Implenia: “At the Adeline Favre house, Implenia successfully brought together its specialists from various disciplines, especially from the Development and Buildings Divisions, and the group's integrated business model was fully implemented. The clear ideas of the tenant Canton of Zurich and the good cooperation between the teams and the authorities also made the project a success. "
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