Jo Fechner:
Dr. Bscher, you are the owner of VILLA SANDER in Frankfurt’s banking district. The VILLA SANDER is a magnificent building with a long history, created by the architect Friedrich Heinrich Ludwig Sander in the second half of the 19th century – even then as a bank. Most recently it was used as a guest house for Deutsche Bank, in the shadow of the Deutsche Bank Towers.
The second SATELLITE OFFICE location in Frankfurt will now open this year. How did Anita Gödiker and SATELLITE OFFICE manage to win her over as a landlord?
Thomas Bscher:
It was the other way around: when we bought Villa Sander, the first thing I thought of was Anita Gödiker. This gem between the two Deutsche Bank towers, this prime location seemed to me to fit very well into the SATELLITE OFFICE portfolio. She was the only one I offered the building to. And that worked, too!
We plan the expansion together, it must take into account the service concept that defines SATELLITE OFFICE – apart from the location, which always bears Mrs. Gödiker’s signature. 42 offices will be built on 5 floors, plus conference rooms and fireside lounges, think tanks and day offices. And the foyer is also suitable as an event venue – depending on how you set it up.
Jo Fechner:
You and your company have many properties in the best locations in major German cities in your portfolio – among other things, you have breathed new life into Haus Cumberland on Kurfürstendamm, where SATELLITE OFFICE is also your main tenant. How important is personal contact with your tenants for you?
Thomas Bscher:
Personal contact is very important to us. However, there are differences. For business properties, we distinguish between retail and office tenants. For retail tenants with their boutiques and stores, it is important to respond flexibly to their requirements. This has a lot to do with design and customer traffic, which is constantly changing. The office customer loves his peace and quiet, he has to feel very comfortable for a very long time. A lawyer likes to spend fourteen hours in his office – he can only do that if he likes it there.
So we are regularly closer to the retail tenants, because they have different sensitivities.
Anita Gödiker is a bit in between – on the one hand SATELLITE OFFICE needs the customer traffic, on the other hand the office tenants have to feel comfortable in a quiet atmosphere. We are actually often in conversation.
Jo Fechner:
Anita Gödiker came up with the idea of SATELLITE OFFICE in 1997, making her a pioneer in flexible workspace. It has established a trend, namely to provide an office solution that involves a minimum investment with maximum flexibility – would something like this also be an option for you if you needed a workspace?
Thomas Bscher:
Ms. Gödiker founded the company at the end of the nineties. At the time, it was something like the first WEWORK in Germany. This has resulted in a healthy, successful company. She is indeed a pioneer in her business.
Not only would we consider renting from her, but we also make use of the possibilities on a regular basis! We have several properties in Berlin, but when I need a conference room, I go to SATELLITE OFFICE. I do not go through Ms. Gödiker, but quite normally through the team. We know each other and I know that we get the best service there in every respect. We are then completely normal customers and of course rent at the usual conditions.
Jo Fechner:
We have long been talking about social responsibility, in combination with corporate responsibility, namely providing society and its weakest members with the help they need and perhaps deserve. What do you think about social responsibility?
Thomas Bscher:
We are a very old family with very old social obligations. I myself have been involved in cultural sponsorship for a long time, and with our board of trustees we help young talents to find instruments and performance opportunities.
We have also been looking after athletes and the sports university in Cologne for 30 years. Among other things, I looked after artistic gymnast Fabian Hambüchen – and he became world champion! But we also cater to niche sports such as rhönrading and women’s squash. These are sports that don’t have many opportunities – we create them.
Jo Fechner:
The values we have learned and known for a long time are currently undergoing unprecedented change. Are there any ways you could advise to counter this change in values?
Thomas Bscher:
There is only one possibility. We have to get back to the point where the discourse is revived. This no longer seems to play a role in today’s society. Neither in politics, where it is increasingly being abolished by two of the ruling parties, nor in the media is it desired. Yet discourse is part and parcel of a functioning democracy. All parties must talk to each other and put their points of view up for discussion. If people don’t talk to each other, ideology wins, and ideology is the enemy of reason.
Jo Fechner:
Reading your CV, it’s hard to imagine when you sleep: real estate entrepreneur, car enthusiast and former president of BUGATTI, racing driver, high-class sailor in the maxi class – how do you keep it up?
Thomas Bscher:
None of this is stressful at all when I compare it to what is currently dominating my life: I have a one-year-old child who takes up all my time. And we don’t have a nanny. That’s the real stress!
Professionally, I deal almost exclusively with real estate, the wild times are over. I have been training for 30 years – you heard me right – for 30 years, now still once a week together with the lecturer at the sports university who is responsible for the area of sport and performance (SUL): Dr. Heinz Kleinöder. The focus of our meetings may have changed over the years, but it’s still about sport and performance.
Jo Fechner:
Thank you very much for the interview;
