DWS deploys leasing management solution across 39 million sq ft of its pan-European portfolio

DWS today announced it has started to roll-out a digital leasing management solution for 39 million square feet across more than 150 properties in its pan-European commercial asset portfolio.

DWS is driving operational efficiencies across its real estate asset management division as part of its tech-driven European real estate strategy. Based on VTS Lease, the solution enables DWS to access critical deal and tenant information from anywhere in real time, improving productivity and accuracy for leasing teams and providing visibility into portfolio risk and opportunities. DWS is the first German headquartered asset manager to roll out VTS across its commercial pan-European real estate portfolio.

VTS Lease will transform the asset management team’s capabilities, enabling DWS to be more collaborative and efficient, whilst providing unparalleled insights to its client base of international investors. The digital leasing process provides the DWS real estate asset management team with more capacity for creating value, and also enables them to make better informed decisions based on leasing performance data.

Benita Schneider, Head of Real Estate Asset Management, Europe, at DWS, said: “We are focused on providing an active asset management approach which ensures we retain our competitive edge in the leasing market. Rolling out this solution across our portfolio is an important milestone in ensuring that we reduce administrative efforts for our asset management teams, embrace innovative solutions to enable us to be more collaborative with internal and external stakeholders and have access to real-time information to help inform our strategy.”

Charlie Wade, EMEA Managing Director of VTS said: “It is more crucial than ever that real estate owners have visibility into the relationship with their tenants and the performance of their portfolios. Harnessing real-time data insights to drive strategic decision making is the game changer, especially on the scale that is available to DWS. VTS Lease facilitates increased portfolio value by enabling owners to proactively identify occupier risk, collaborate with local teams to efficiently lease space, and proactively manage the relationship with the current or future customer. DWS is leading the way in digital transformation across asset classes and we are really excited to be partnering with them in Europe to ensure they maintain that competitive edge.”

DWS’s pan-European portfolio in scope for the solution comprises industrial, office, and retail assets across 13 countries including Germany, France, Poland, Italy, and the UK. The solution is being rolled out in properties such as WestendDuo office tower in Frankfurt, Germany, Diagonal Mar Shopping Centre in Barcelona, Spain, and Kering’s Global Logistics Hub in Trecate, Italy.

About DWS Group

DWS Group (DWS) with EUR 860bn of assets under management (as of 30 September 2023) aspires to be one of the world's leading asset managers. Building on more than 60 years of experience, it has a reputation for excellence in Germany, Europe, the Americas and Asia. DWS is recognized by clients globally as a trusted source for integrated investment solutions, stability and innovation across a full spectrum of investment disciplines.

We offer individuals and institutions access to our strong investment capabilities across all major liquid and illiquid asset classes as well as solutions aligned to growth trends. Our diverse expertise in Active, Passive and Alternatives asset management – as well as our deep environmental, social and governance focus – complement each other when creating targeted solutions for our clients. Our expertise and on-the-ground knowledge of our economists, research analysts and investment professionals are brought together in one consistent global CIO View, giving strategic guidance to our investment approach.

DWS wants to innovate and shape the future of investing. We understand that, both as a corporate as well as a trusted advisor to our clients, we have a crucial role in helping to navigate the transition to a more sustainable future. With approximately 4,500 employees in offices all over the world, we are local while being one global team. We are committed to acting on behalf of our clients and investing with their best interests at heart so that they can reach their financial goals, no matter what the future holds. With our entrepreneurial, collaborative spirit, we work every day to deliver outstanding investment results, in both good and challenging times to build the best foundation for our clients’ financial future.

About DWS Real Estate

DWS has been investing in real estate assets for more than 50 years. As part of the Alternatives platform, the real estate business has nearly 350 employees in over 20 cities around the world and almost EUR 79 billion in global real estate assets under management (June 30, 2023). Providing a diverse range of strategies and solutions across the risk/return and geographic spectrums, we offer core, value-added and opportunistic real estate, real estate debt and real estate securities. The real estate investment business employs a disciplined investment approach and aims to deliver attractive long-term risk adjusted returns, preservation of capital and diversification to its investors, which include governments, corporations, insurance companies, endowments, retirement plans, and private clients worldwide.

About VTS

VTS is the commercial real estate industry’s only technology company that unifies owners, operators, brokers, and tenants in a single platform to capitalize on opportunities revealed in every square foot of their properties. In 2013, VTS revolutionised the commercial real estate industry’s leasing operations with what is now VTS Lease. Today, the VTS Platform is the largest first-party data source in the industry, transforming how strategic decisions are made and executed by CRE professionals across the globe.

With the VTS Platform, consisting of VTS Lease, VTS Market, VTS Activate, and VTS Data, every business stakeholder in commercial real estate is given real-time market information and workflow tools to do their job with unparalleled speed and intelligence. VTS is the global leader, with more than 60% of Class A office space in the U.S., and 12 billion square feet of office, retail, and industrial space is managed through our platform worldwide. VTS’ user base includes over 45,000 CRE professionals and industry-leading customers such as Blackstone, Brookfield Properties, LaSalle Investment Management, Hines, BXP, Oxford Properties, JLL, and CBRE. To learn more about VTS, and to see our open roles, visit www.vts.com.