DWS announced on Monday that it has reached an agreement to acquire 100 percent of the shares in Peakside Capital Advisors. The transaction involves a group of shareholders surrounding the two founders and managing partners, Stefan Aumann and Boris Schran. Both parties decided not to disclose any financial details regarding the acquisition.
The completion of the transaction is scheduled for the end of 2026 and remains subject to the receipt of necessary regulatory approvals. DWS stated that the acquisition is particularly attractive because Peakside focuses on value-add and opportunistic real estate investments. Under this strategy, properties with development or restructuring potential are acquired and actively managed to increase their overall value.
Peakside contributes this specific expertise primarily across Germany, as well as in central and eastern Europe. The firm invests in office, retail, logistics, and residential properties. According to its own figures, the company currently manages more than 1.7 billion euros, predominantly on behalf of institutional investors.
Headquartered in Zug, Peakside is not a traditional Swiss real estate company, as its operational property business concentrates heavily on Germany and central and eastern Europe. The investment manager employs approximately 45 staff members across locations in Frankfurt, Zug, Warsaw, Prague, Munich, and Luxembourg. Since its inception, Peakside reports having acquired properties valued at more than 4.7 billion euros for investors, ranging from individual existing assets and project developments to entire portfolios and real estate companies.
Peakside recently expanded its activities significantly. During 2025 alone, the company executed real estate transactions exceeding 360 million euros in Germany. Its residential platform grew to more than 800 units, while the retail property portfolio expanded to over 100,000 square meters. In March, Peakside established Food Anchor Management in cooperation with Stoke Park Capital. That platform launched with 35 properties and an investment volume of approximately 150 million euros, with plans to increase that volume to 300 million euros within 2026. Simultaneously, Peakside is preparing a new value-add fund for Germany, focusing on special situations, repositionings, and distressed assets.
Alongside assets under management and investment strategies, DWS is taking on Peakside's existing management. The current owners are set to remain with the company following the conclusion of the deal. This continuation also applies to senior managers Frank Schäfer and Karol Maziukiewicz, with personnel continuity planned for the wider team.
Stefan Hoops, chief executive officer of DWS, noted that the takeover represents a crucial step in strengthening the alternatives platform, adding that Peakside brings a proven track record and established investment expertise in European value-add and opportunistic real estate. Peakside founder Stefan Aumann stated that combining the firm's investment capabilities with the client relationships, distribution strengths, and global platform of DWS creates substantial opportunities for business expansion and solution development for investors.
