Skanska sells the Maraton office building in Poznan to Union Investment

Skanska has sold the Maraton office building, its newest investment in Poznan, to a real estate fund managed by Union Investment, which is based in Hamburg. This is the second time that this German investment institution has chosen a Skanska project in the Polish regional market. Maraton, delivered to market at the end of December 2016, is especially favored by companies from the business services sector.

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Maraton, located in the very heart of Poznan, is Skanska's second office development in the city. The building's tenants, including ROCKWOOL, Sii, APS, Bridgestone, Century Link, Naspers through its OLX Group, Duni European Finance Function and REHAU Business Services have all been attracted by the project which will be an important asset in retaining current employees as well as recruiting prospective candidates.

- Such a prestigious group of tenants best exemplifies the location's high quality. Maraton is mainly selected by companies that wish to develop in state-of-the-art conditions over a long period of time. Furthermore, our partner - Union Investment - was looking for such a forward-looking investment. The open-ended real estate fund UniImmo: Deutschland has selected a Skanska building for the second time - comments Arkadiusz Rudzki, Managing Director at Skanska Property Poland. - The purchase of Maraton by such an experienced player also confirms the robust condition of Poznan's office market. We also believe in the city's potential and have long-term plans for the area. Our next project is being developed on one of the biggest land plots in Poznan's business centre. This will be a city-forming project combining numerous functions, which will be 'a first' for Poznan - adds Arkadiusz Rudzki.

The first building developed by Skanska and purchased by Union Investment was Dominikanski in Wroclaw. It was delivered to market in 2015.

- Our strategy for Poland involves the broad diversification of our real estate portfolio. Poznan is our tenth investment location in the country - said Martin Schellein, Head of Investment Management Europe at Union Investment Real Estate GmbH. - The Poznan office market has excellent growth prospects, so we are delighted to hold such a high-quality property in a central location - adds Martin Schellein.

Following this acquisition, Union Investment now holds 16 properties in Poland across the office, retail and hotel sectors with a total value of some EUR 1.6 billion.

Maraton was designed with a focus on people as its sunny and spacious interiors offer a comfortable and functional space to work. The building's crucial advantage is the open patio with a fountain as well as terraces located on Maraton's rooftop, where tenants will be able to plan integration events and work during warmer days. The office building, reflecting the Modernist period in Poznan, is located in close proximity to four parks, Dworzec Głowny station, the Old Square and Stary Browar. The tenants' employees can reach the Warta river in just a few minutes or sit in a cafeteria on Krolowej Jadwigi Street. A café and other services and amenities will also be located on the building's ground floor. Furthermore, Skanska did not forget about the location's history - during the development works, the company secured a fragment of the 19th century wall of Poznan Fortress, which can be seen on Maraton's patio.