Updated:
A&V Holding
A&V Holding manages the Ackermans-Voelkel family fortune, created by the 1989 sale of the Allkauf Group.
A&V Holding
A&V Holding was formed to steward the wealth of the Ackermans-Voelkel family, whose fortune traces to Gerhard Ackermans' 1989 exit from the Allkauf-Gruppe hypermarket chain. The holding company's stated purpose is to jointly invest and manage assets alongside other branches of Ackermans' descendants, with the immediate family of Katrin Ackermans-Voelkel as a central beneficiary. The firm operates from Kempen, North Rhine-Westphalia, through a structured web of asset-specific limited partnerships, each with its own general partner entity. The portfolio spans illiquid real assets and direct private equity stakes. Real estate forms the largest visible allocation, comprising commercial development projects in Wiesbaden and Braunschweig, alongside additional holdings consolidated under AV Immobilien GmbH & Co. KG and AV Grundbesitz GmbH & Co. KG. The firm also operates dedicated vehicles for solar energy infrastructure (AV Solar Invest GmbH & Co. KG) and forestry (AV Forst GmbH & Co. KG). On the venture and growth-equity side, A&V Holding co-invests directly in European startups through SPVs, with a preference for companies applying data analytics and AI to real estate, logistics, and mobility. The firm has invested alongside the Büll Family Office in KENDAXA Holding GmbH, confirming a pattern of co-investor club participation rather than solo underwriting. Day-to-day management sits with Markus Voelkel and Thomas Schröder, both managing directors of the general partner, A&V Verwaltungsgesellschaft mbH. Katrin Ackermans-Voelkel stepped back from her managing director role in April 2023, signaling a transition in family involvement at the operational level. The principal investment offices remain concentrated in Germany, and the firm has no disclosed international outposts, reinforcing a tightly held governance structure. Beyond the core holding company, supplementary general partners — AV Grundbesitz Verwaltungs GmbH, AV Solar Invest Verwaltungs GmbH, and AV Forst Verwaltungs GmbH — govern each dedicated asset vehicle. A&V Holding's structural signature is its use of a Komplementär system: every operating subsidiary and investment vehicle has a separate, legally distinct general partner rather than pooling assets under a single balance sheet. This architecture isolates liability across asset classes — real estate, renewables, forestry, and private equity each sit in their own corporate container. The family's philanthropic engagement, including support for the Stiftung Museum Kunstpalast, runs parallel and unconsolidated, keeping charitable assets outside the investment perimeter.
General information
Firm type
Single Family Office
Year founded
—
AUM
Undisclosed
Location
Region
Europe
Country
Germany
City
Kempen
Corporate office
Kempen, Germany
Principals
Markus Voelkel
Managing Director
Thomas Schröder
Managing Director
Sector focus
Frequently asked questions
Who runs investment decisions at A&V Holding?
Managing Directors Markus Voelkel and Thomas Schröder oversee investment decisions through the general partner, A&V Verwaltungsgesellschaft mbH. Both are listed as primary contacts for the family office. Katrin Ackermans-Voelkel, a former managing director, stepped down from this operational role in April 2023.
Where does the underlying wealth come from?
The family's fortune originates from Gerhard Ackermans, who sold his 50 percent share in the Allkauf-Gruppe, a German hypermarket and department store chain, in 1989. The sale provided the liquidity that seeded A&V Holding as a dedicated family investment vehicle.
How is A&V Holding structured as a legal entity?
The firm operates as a GmbH & Co. KG, a German limited partnership with a corporate general partner. Each major asset class sits in its own subsidiary — AV Grundbesitz for real estate, AV Solar Invest for solar infrastructure, and AV Forst for timberland — each with a separate general partner to isolate liability.
Does A&V Holding co-invest with other family offices or GPs?
Yes. The firm has co-invested alongside the Büll Family Office in KENDAXA Holding GmbH, indicating a willingness to share deal flow with peer family offices. Historically, its venture and growth-stage positions are executed through direct co-investments and SPVs rather than blind-pool fund commitments.
What investment stages does the firm pursue in private equity?
A&V Holding targets growth-stage and venture-stage companies within Europe, specifically in PropTech, data analytics, and mobility. These positions are structured as direct co-investments rather than through intermediary fund managers, consistent with the family office's preference for proximity to underlying assets.
Does A&V Holding maintain any philanthropic structures?
The family supports the Stiftung Museum Kunstpalast in Düsseldorf. Philanthropic activities appear to be conducted separately from the investment holding company structure, with no indication that charitable assets are commingled with the for-profit investment vehicles.
Is A&V Holding exclusively a German investor?
The firm's real estate, forestry, and solar investments are concentrated in Germany, and its headquarters remain in Kempen. While its venture co-investments are described as European in scope, the family office maintains no disclosed international offices.
Profile maintained by Altss using OSINT (open-source intelligence), regulatory filings, licensed data partners, and verified direct submissions. Read the methodology. Last updated: . Continuous refresh with full update cycles at least every 30 days.
Need institutional-grade insight on family offices?
Altss delivers:
Prefer a guided tour?
We’ll walk you through: