Jo Fechner:

Dr. Bscher, you are the owner of the VILLA SANDER in Frankfurt’s banking district. The VILLA SANDER is a magnificent building with a long history, created by architect Friedrich Heinrich Ludwig Sander in the second half of the 19th century – even then as a bank building. It was last used as a guest house for Deutsche Bank, in the shadow of the Deutsche Bank Towers.

Now the second SATELLITE OFFICE location in Frankfurt is opening there this year. How did Anita Gödiker and SATELLITE OFFICE manage to win her as a landlord?

Thomas Bscher:

It was the other way around: when we acquired Villa Sander, the very first thing I thought of was Anita Gödiker. This gem between the two Deutsche Bank towers, this prime location, seemed to me to fit very well into the SATELLITE OFFICE portfolio. She was the only one I offered the building to. And it worked!

We are planning the expansion together; it must take into account the service concept that defines SATELLITE OFFICE – apart from the location, which always bears Ms. Gödiker’s signature. 42 offices will be created on 5 floors, plus Conference Rooms and Fireplace Lounges, Think Tanks and Day Offices. And the foyer is also suitable as an event venue – depending on how it is set up.

You and your company have many properties in the best locations in major German cities in your portfolio – among other things, you have breathed new life into Haus Cumberland on Kurfürstendamm, where SATELLITE OFFICE is also your main tenant. How important is personal contact with your tenants for you?

Thomas Bscher:

Personal contact is very important to us. However, there are differences. For business properties, we differentiate between retail and office tenants. For retail tenants with their boutiques and stores, it is important to respond flexibly to their requirements. This has a lot to do with design and customer traffic, which is constantly changing. Office customers like their peace and quiet, they need to feel very comfortable for a very long time. A lawyer likes to spend fourteen hours in his office – he can only do that if he likes it there.

So we are regularly closer to the retail tenants because they have different sensitivities.

Anita Gödiker is a bit in between – on the one hand, SATELLITE OFFICE needs the customer traffic, on the other hand, the office tenants need to feel comfortable in a quiet atmosphere. We are actually often in conversation.

Jo Fechner:

Anita Gödiker came up with the idea of SATELLITE OFFICE in 1997, making her a pioneer in flexible workspace. She established a trend, namely to provide an office solution with a minimum investment and maximum flexibility – would something like this also be an option for you if you needed a workspace?

Thomas Bscher:

Ms. Gödiker founded the company at the end of the nineties. Back then, it was something like the first WEWORK in Germany. It has grown into a healthy, successful company. She really is a pioneer in her business.

Not only would we consider renting from them, but we also use them on a regular basis! We have several properties in Berlin, but when I need a conference room, I go to SATELLITE OFFICE. I don’t go through Ms. Gödiker, but quite normally through the team. We know each other and I know that we get the best service there in every respect. We are then completely normal customers and of course rent at the usual conditions.

Jo Fechner:

We have been talking about social responsibility for a long time, in combination with corporate responsibility, namely providing society and its weakest members with the help they need and perhaps also deserve. What do you think about social responsibility?

Thomas Bscher:

We are a very old family with very old social obligations. I myself have been involved in cultural sponsorship for a long time, and our board of trustees helps young talents find instruments and performance opportunities.

We have also been looking after athletes and the sports university in Cologne for 30 years. Among other things, I looked after artistic gymnast Fabian Hambüchen – and he became world champion! But we also look after niche sports such as rhönrading and women’s squash. These are sports that don’t have many opportunities – we manage them.

Jo Fechner:

The values we have learned and known for a long time are currently undergoing unprecedented change. Are there any ways you could advise to counter this change in values?

Thomas Bscher:

There is only one option. We have to get back to the point where discourse is revived. It no longer seems to play a role in today’s society. Neither in politics, where it is increasingly being abolished by two of the ruling parties, nor in the media is it desired. Yet discourse is essential if a democracy is to function. All parties must talk to each other and put their points of view up for discussion. If people don’t talk to each other, ideology wins, and ideology is the enemy of reason.

Jo Fechner:

Reading your CV, it’s hard to imagine when you’ll sleep: real estate entrepreneur, car enthusiast and former president of BUGATTI, racing driver, high-class sailor in the maxi class – how do you keep it up?

Thomas Bscher:

None of this is stressful at all when I compare it to what is currently dominating my life: I have a one-year-old child who is taking up all my time. And we don’t have a nanny. That’s the real stress!

Professionally, I almost only deal with real estate, the wild times are over. I’ve been training for 30 years – you heard me right – for 30 years, now still once a week together with the lecturer at the Sports University who is responsible for the Sport and Performance department (SUL): Dr. Heinz Kleinöder. The focus of our meetings may have changed over the years, but it’s still about sport and performance.

Jo Fechner:

Thank you very much for the interview!