A busy 2015 in deals seen for German property firms

Berlin

GERMAN property companies such as Patrizia Immobilien AG and Deutsche Office AG may lead a busy year for stock market deals in 2015 amid growing investor demand for real estate shares, according to adviser Victoria Partners.

Patrizia may sell shares for the first time in GBW Gruppe, the Bavarian rental-home owner it bought for one of its institutional funds in 2013 for 2.5 billion euros (S$4 billion), Bernd Janssen, head of research at Frankfurt-based Victoria Partners said. Deutsche Office and Alstria Office Reit AG would make good merger partners, he said. "The Deutsche Annington takeover bid is a trigger for more consolidation," he said. "The key drivers for value creation in the market are mergers that create economies of scale."