ARCADIA founds own expansion company

ARCADIA Investment Group founds own expansion company: ARCREX – Retail Experts GmbH

Alexander Folz, founder of ARCADIA, and Gerald Finke, long-standing expansion specialist and management member of the retailers Woolworth, Kik and Tedi have joined forces and founded ARCREX – Retail Experts GmbH. The 59-year-old businessman will be heading the Expansion Division as managing partner. He was most recently in charge of strategically leading the Europe-wide expansion of Woolworth, Kik and Tedi, and was therefore responsible for some 4,000 lease agreements and store openings. Gerald Finke will lead the company together with Alexander Folz, Managing Partner of ARCADIA Investment GmbH, who is responsible for acquisitions as well as construction and development.

Gerald Finke (59 years old)
Gerald Finke (59 years old)
Alexander Folz (41 years old)
Alexander Folz (41 years old)Photos: ARCADIA Investment Group

Founded in May of this year, ARCREX will operate as an independent specialist area under the umbrella brand of the ARCADIA Investment Group. ARCREX will independently and neutrally support and guide retailers, online retailers, restaurateurs and service companies – who do not have their their own expansion department – in the development of their core area. It likewise aims to support or take over existing expansion departments. Included in this prospective client base, in particular, are retailers who are planning to newly enter the German market with their retail concepts or to strategically grow within the German market by opening further new branches. The Leipzig based company will initially operate nationally with a view to operating throughout Europe.

ARCREX’s range of services includes: the preparation of a strategic rental space application, acquisition of suitable space, location analysis of potential rental space as well as conducting contract negotiations up to the conclusion of these; the procurement of building rights, planning and supervising and the final handover to the retailer to carry out his individual store fitout. The company thereby focuses on the extensive network of owners and tenants built by Gerald Finke and the ARCADIA team over the years. Intensive negotiations are currently being conducted with retail concepts in order to exclusively support their expansion in the coming years.

“The advantages for the retailers are manifold,” says Alexander Folz. “Whereas we have comprehensive acquisition contacts and are able to acquire land and properties for development and distribution in addition to rental space due to our specialisation, the competence of most service providers ends at brokering. Complex topics such as targeted negotiation, advice on the composition of product ranges, the planning of shop design and shelving are nevertheless difficult to coordinate externally.” “At ARCREX,” explains Gerald Finke, “this package is standard. The savings compared to having and maintaining a cost-intensive expansion department – even in less expansive times – with full detail-oriented expertise, will certainly encourage some retailers to decide to cooperate with us”.

ARCADIA Investment Group

ARCADIA Investment Group has focused its specialisation on the development of property used for retail and residential properties as well as car parks and underground car parks throughout the entire Germany. In addition to activities relating to its own portfolio, it has also implemented a host of projects in the framework of joint ventures – amongst others in close collaboration with numerous national and international companies. One of the company’s core business functions is also the optimisation, maintenance and expansion of the property portfolio of family businesses with the utmost care and confidentiality. ARCADIA Investment GmbH as the holding company for the group currently employs 20 people and is developing areas with a magnitude of more than 200,000 square meters. The accompanying project volume amounts to round 165 million euro.

For enquiries please contact Herr Ralf Bettges, Press and Public Office at 0172 – 233 73 90. Further information about ARCADIA Investment Group can be found at www.arcadia-invest.de.

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