NATE Vermögensverwaltungs- und Beteiligungsgesellschaft

NATE Vermögensverwaltungs- und Beteiligungsgesellschaft

The firm functions as the holding and property vehicle for the family behind the Klaus Schäfer Gruppe, a logistics and shipping enterprise established in Aschaffenburg. Founder Klaus Schäfer was a founding member of German Parcel, the entity that became General Logistics Systems (GLS), and he later sold the core operating company into DFDS in 2004. The family office, managed by his daughter Andrea Schäfer-Jackson alongside Rüdiger Bahmer, now stewards the capital released from those transactions. NATE Vermögensverwaltungs- und Beteiligungsgesellschaft directs its balance sheet almost entirely toward German logistics and industrial real estate, including direct development, property investment, and long-term leasing. The portfolio is concentrated within the bayernhafen Aschaffenburg, an inland port, where it acts simultaneously as property owner, developer, and landlord. Confirmed tenants include DSV Road GmbH, Teamlog — which occupies a 16,600 square-meter facility and a newly built 4,600 square-meter hall — and redcoon GmbH Logistik. The firm redevelops existing industrial sites and builds spec or bespoke logistics halls, aligning its deployment with the operational rhythms of the port. Its investment perimeter has historically extended into broader Europe through business partnerships linked to the Schäfer logistics network, though all visible real assets remain German-anchored. NATE employs a lean team led by its two managing directors and relies on a network of long-standing commercial relationships rather than a large dedicated investment staff. The holding entity is listed in the German Federal Bank’s register of large investment companies. Adjacent to the commercial portfolio, the Klaus Schäfer Stiftung “Bildung ist Zukunft” operates as the family’s philanthropic foundation, chaired by Andrea Schäfer-Jackson with Klaus Schäfer serving as deputy chairman. The foundation focuses on education and is structurally separate from the property portfolio, with no visible co-investment overlap. As of late-2021, Klaus Schäfer formally stepped down as managing director of the group, consolidating operational control under the second generation while he retained his foundation role. The office blends the functions of a classic European family holding company with those of a hands-on, in-house real estate developer. Unlike most family offices that allocate across third-party funds, NATE deploys directly into concrete and steel within a single logistics campus — retaining control over construction, tenancy, and asset management. This owner-operator model, embedded inside one of Germany’s principal inland ports, gives it a structural posture closer to a specialized real asset developer than to a diversified allocator.