Germany

Becker & Kries was established in Berlin in 1945 by Georg Becker and Gunter Kries and is now one of the largest private, family businesses in Germany. The company began by purchasing and renovating historical buildings. Its primary business is commercial and residential real estate, owning approximately five million square feet of commercial and manages 13,500 units in a portfolio of more than 100 properties.

The head office for Becker and Kries is at Meinikestrasse 25, Berlin which is a 45,000 square foot heritage building (1898) located just off Kurfurstendamm, the prominent retail street in the heart of Berlin. With its subsidiary companies, Becker and Kries employs approximately 450 people in property management, asset management, real estate development, finance and other business operations such as the film industry, fashion mall and as owners of the large tents used for Octoberfest.

One of its major properties is Ullsteinhaus, an 800,000 square foot complex in the business core of Berlin, built in 1927 and renovated in 1992. Another is Steglitzer Kreisel a complex of retail, office and a major hotel developed by Becker and Kries in 1980. In 1964, Becker and Kries acquired Berliner Union Film, a campus of studios for TV and film productions. Several other well known properties form part of the German portfolio including some located on the important retail street of Kurfurstendamm.

Canada

B.U.K. Investments Ltd. was founded in 1981 by Becker and Kries to diversify its investments outside of Germany, initially acquiring buildings and land for development.

Over the years B.U.K. developed International Business Park in Richmond, a prestige six building business park of 352,000 square feet, two projects in the Tilbury area of Delta on Progress Way and Huston Road, Creekside Village, a retail mall in Coquitlam and a light industrial complex on the Langley By-Pass. Subsequently B.U.K. acquired other industrial properties throughout the Lower Mainland, such as Marine Way Business Park in Burnaby and properties on Annacis Island and Victoria.

The current portfolio consists of approximately 1.4 million square feet of industrial and flex buildings with plans to re-develop in the near future. The company follows a conservative philosophy of acquiring and maintaining quality long-term investments with a focus on building relationships by providing excellent service to its tenants.