POLAND A most understanding partner – Philipp Schomberg of Kingstone RE

Could you tell us something about Kingstone Real Estate – your history, and the scope and scale of your activities?

Philipp Schomberg, co-founder and CEO Poland, Kingstone RE: Kingstone Real Estate is an independent, family-owned real estate investment and asset management platform with German roots and a growing international presence. We combine institutional investment expertise with an entrepreneurial mindset, allowing us to act quickly while maintaining the governance and standards expected by international investors. Today, we manage over EUR 1.2 bln in assets across our platform.
Over the last few years, we have expanded our activities beyond Germany into selected European markets, with Poland becoming one of our key strategic markets. We cover the full value chain of real estate investments, from sourcing and underwriting opportunities, structuring transactions and arranging financing, to executing acquisitions, asset management and eventual exit strategies. We advise institutional investors and family offices and manage capital through regulated fund vehicles as well as separate accounts. Besides Poland, we are also active in the UK and the Netherlands through local teams.
We see ourselves as a long-term partner to investors, not just a transaction advisor. We focus on sourcing attractive opportunities, structuring investments and actively creating value throughout the investment lifecycle.

You entered the Polish market back in 2020, with the acquisition of an inner-city plot in Katowice for a residential and mixed-use project. You also announced plans to invest EUR 120 million in similar acquisitions. How did that project and your plans work out? Has your strategy for Poland evolved since then?

Our first investment in Katowice was very successful and provided us with valuable market experience. However, shortly thereafter, the macroeconomic environment changed significantly, with rapidly rising interest rates, increased construction costs and heightened investor uncertainty due to the impact on the market of the Russian war against Ukraine. In response, we deliberately adjusted our strategy. Rather than focusing on development activities, we increasingly positioned Kingstone as an investment and asset management partner for international capital seeking exposure to Poland.
The experience in Katowice confirmed our conviction that Poland offers outstanding long-term fundamentals. Since then, the market in Poland has recovered significantly, and we are seeing a much more positive sentiment from international investors. Currently, our primary focus is supporting institutional investors and family offices in identifying and executing attractive investment opportunities across different sectors.

You have now partnered with Strabag for the acquisition and asset management of Olivia Star in Gdańsk. The latter seems in particular to be a landmark acquisition and project for you. Why did you identify this property for your investor?

Olivia Star represents exactly the type of asset foreign investors are increasingly looking for: a high-quality, well-managed landmark building with strong fundamentals, an established tenant base and long-term value creation potential. What makes the transaction particularly attractive is not only the quality of the asset itself but also its strategic position within the Olivia Centre campus, which has become one of the leading mixed-use business destinations in Central Europe.
For our investor, the acquisition offered a rare opportunity to acquire a trophy asset in one of Poland's strongest regional office markets. We are pleased to continue supporting the investment through our asset management platform and believe there remains significant potential to further enhance the property's long-term performance.

You have also recently partnered with French fund manager Iroko, after earlier having teamed up with Trei Real Estate for the development of rental apartments. What kind of activities are you planning with Iroko? And do you see your role as facilitating the entry of major international players?

Our cooperation with Iroko reflects a broader trend that we have been observing. International investors continue to increase their interest in Poland as market fundamentals remain compelling. We are supporting Iroko in identifying investment opportunities across selected sectors and cities, combining our local market expertise with their long-term investment strategy.
More broadly, we increasingly see our role as that of a strategic local partner for international investors entering the Polish market. This goes beyond sourcing transactions. It includes market intelligence, due diligence coordination, transaction execution and active asset management after closing. International investors value having an experienced local partner who understands both the market and institutional investment requirements.

How confident are you in all the different segments of Polish real estate that you are active in? Which segments do you think have the most promise?

We remain very positive about the long-term outlook for the Polish real estate market. Poland continues to benefit from strong economic growth, favourable demographics in major cities and increasing interest from international capital. While every sector faces its own challenges, we currently see particularly attractive opportunities in high-quality office assets with strong ESG credentials, logistics, selected residential strategies and specialised sectors such as student housing and data centres.
Looking ahead, we believe successful investors will increasingly focus on asset quality rather than sector allocation alone. Well-located, sustainable buildings with strong cash-flow characteristics will continue to outperform, regardless of the asset class. Poland offers an attractive combination of economic resilience, liquidity and long-term growth potential. We believe the country is entering a new investment cycle, and well-positioned investors will continue to find compelling opportunities across multiple sectors here.