GERMANY/NETHERLANDS – The Dutch metalworkers’ pension fund BPMT has backed Warburg-Henderson KAG’s new German property fund by being the lead investor, with an equity commitment of 60 million euros.

Warburg-Henderson Kapitalanlagegesellschaft fuer Immobilien mbH is the property fund management joint venture between Henderson Global Investors and MM Warburg & Co.

The fund, Deutschland Fonds Nr.1 is the first to be launched since the company began in April this year, and it will invest primarily in the office sector in major German cities. The properties will be sourced and managed by MM Warburg & Co.’s property asset management subsidiary, HIH Hamburgische Immobilien Handlung GmbH.

Erwin Stouthamer, director of international real estate at Mn Services Investment Management, which represent BPMT’s participation in the Warburg-Henderson fund, explains the appeal: “Warburg-Henderson is an excellent local partner for accessing opportunities in a real estate market undergoing significant structural change and turbulence.”

The fund is expected to grow to around 300 million euros.

Warburg-Henderson KAG is run by Tim Horrocks and Joachim Walter, and is aimed at insurance companies and company pension mandates in Germany and throughout Europe.