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Peper & Söhne
Lutz H. Peper and his sons manage Peper & Söhne, a Bremen family office developing logistics real estate across Northern Germany and Denmark since 2013.
Peper & Söhne
Peper & Söhne was established in 2013 by Lutz H. Peper, a former president of the Bremen Chamber of Commerce and honorary consul to both Latvia and Ireland, to steward capital generated from the family's controlling interest in Willenbrock Fördertechnik. The office is led by Lutz Peper as chairman alongside his three sons — Christoph, Matthias, and Malte — who serve as managing partners. The family's operational roots in Bremen shape a real estate strategy tightly focused on logistics, light-industrial, and commercial development within Northern Europe. The firm acts primarily as an in-house developer and investor in commercial real estate, concentrating on logistics and light-industrial assets. Its development pipeline spans two tracks: built-to-suit facilities for corporate tenants in the automotive, courier/express/parcel, and aerospace sectors, and speculative developments of modern trade and industrial units. Completed projects have been sold to institutional buyers including LIP Invest GmbH, with transaction volume disclosed in the triple-digit million euros across the portfolio (per the firm, 2025). Active projects include a 17,300-square-meter logistics development in Hamburg-Billbrook and a new production and logistics site for Rehadapt GmbH in Kassel. Geographic exposure is concentrated in Northern Germany — primarily Bremen, Hamburg, and Wilhelmshaven — with at least one industrial asset in Maribo, Denmark. The firm operates a small, integrated team covering development, asset and property management, finance, and communications from its headquarters in Bremen. In January 2026, Peper & Söhne appointed Mirjam Hotsch as head of its investment department, a notable functional expansion for an office historically focused on proprietary development. The family maintains additional operating assets including the SPURWERK mixed-use project in Bremen-Neustadt, a classic car collection and restoration business, and an equestrian facility in Quickborn. Philanthropic activity flows through the Kieserling Stiftung and the Peper & Söhne Stiftung, with the family also involved in the historic Stiftung Haus Seefahrt. Peper & Söhne differs from most Northern European single-family offices by acting as full-stack developer, not purely an allocator. It originates, entitles, builds, and manages its own logistics assets before selectively selling stabilized projects to domestic institutional investors. That operating-company approach — rare among German family offices — concentrates the family's evergreen capital in physical, income-producing infrastructure that reflects the B2B industrial networks of the founding wealth.
General information
Firm type
Single Family Office
Year founded
2013
AUM
€200M – €500M (Altss estimate)
Location
Region
Europe
Country
Germany
City
Bremen
Corporate office
Bremen, Germany
Principals
Lutz H. Peper
Founder and Chairman of the Advisory Board
Christoph Peper
Managing Partner
Matthias Peper
Managing Partner
Malte Peper
Managing Partner
Sector focus
Frequently asked questions
Who runs investment decisions at Peper & Söhne?
Managing partners Christoph, Matthias, and Malte Peper — sons of founder Lutz H. Peper — oversee day-to-day operations and investment activity. Lutz Peper remains chairman of the advisory board. In January 2026, Mirjam Hotsch was appointed head of investment, signaling a formalization of the acquisition and capital-deployment function.
Is Peper & Söhne structured as a single family office or an operating development company?
It functions as a single-family office with an embedded real estate development operating company. Unlike most family offices that allocate to external funds or acquire standing assets, Peper & Söhne originates, entitles, builds, and manages its own logistics and light-industrial projects, selectively selling stabilized assets to institutional buyers.
Does Peper & Söhne co-invest with external partners, or do they only develop on their own balance sheet?
The firm develops on its own balance sheet and sells completed projects to institutional co-investors. Known transaction partners include LIP Invest GmbH, a Munich-based logistics real estate investment manager, which has acquired multiple completed Peper developments in Dresden and Bremen.
Which geographic markets does Peper & Söhne focus on?
The portfolio is concentrated in Northern Germany — notably Bremen, Hamburg, and Wilhelmshaven — with at least one known industrial asset in Maribo, Denmark. The firm states it operates beyond Bremen's borders but has not disclosed assets outside Northern Europe.
Where does the Peper family's underlying wealth originate?
The family's wealth stems from its majority ownership of Willenbrock Fördertechnik, a Bremen-based forklift distribution company. Lutz Peper built his business career in the Hanseatic city, eventually serving as president of the Bremen Chamber of Commerce and later as honorary consul for both Latvia and Ireland.
What asset classes does Peper & Söhne avoid?
The office's publicly disclosed activity is almost exclusively in logistics and light-industrial real estate development. There is no evidence of direct investments in venture capital, public equities, or traditional private equity fund commitments, though the firm states it engages in "selective trading activities" and maintains a classic car collection as an alternative asset.
Does Peper & Söhne maintain separate philanthropic vehicles?
Yes. The family supports the Kieserling Stiftung and the Peper & Söhne Stiftung, a foundation bearing the family office's name. The Peper family is also associated with the Stiftung Haus Seefahrt, a historic Bremen charitable foundation.
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.
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