Viennese real estate investor Klemens Hallmann is pursuing many projects, especially in the field of eco-housing, because demand has not collapsed like in the rest of the sector. He is also expanding his investments in cybersecurity companies and furthering his activities as an international film producer.
Signa is currently experiencing a multi-billion dollar bankruptcy, and other real estate companies are also fighting for survival. With projects worth more than four billion euros, the Viennese Klemens Hallmann is also big in business and is currently more cautious. “We generally avoid expensive investor capital or financial partners and rely on conservative financing. We do not have to implement every project and are currently focusing more on stability than on growth.”
But not completely, because the difficult market beckons for further big plans. “Anyone who invests countercyclically can benefit from a future recovery; we are actively looking for interesting properties.” Even before the bankruptcy, he acquired some buildings from Signa, such as the Leiner headquarters in St. Pölten, which was originally going to be built. should be renovated for 100 million euros.
It is certain that project developer Süba, part of Hallmann Holding, sold or delivered more than 700 apartments last year. Demand will continue to recover this year and Hallmann expects that there could be a significant trend reversal in 2025.
The mega topic here is affordability through energy savings, from wind turbines on building roofs to basement ice storage for temperature control without energy-hungry air conditioning systems. This significantly reduces energy costs “and makes the apartments sustainably affordable for the residents”. Larger housing projects are currently under construction in Germany (e.g. Munich), Austria (Vienna-Floridsdorf, Nordwestbahnstrasse, Maximilium Wr. Neustadt, Ala Nova Schwechat) and Hungary, with a total area of 210,000 square meters.
The entrepreneur also wants to expand significantly and invest more in his subsidiaries in the areas of cybersecurity (Cyan, Cybersec), financial services (Lulalend, Finclusion) and life science.
However, Hallmann’s activities as a film producer of over 90 films and documentaries are more in the spotlight. ‘Dreamscape’ with Oscar winner Kate Winslet was recently completed.
Source: Krone
I’m Ben Stock, a journalist and author at Today Times Live. I specialize in economic news and have been working in the news industry for over five years. My experience spans from local journalism to international business reporting. In my career I’ve had the opportunity to interview some of the world’s leading economists and financial experts, giving me an insight into global trends that is unique among journalists.
