Stable returns: sales growth for Deka's retail property funds
In 2025, more private investors bought shares in Deka's open-ended real estate funds than they redeemed. The real estate funds directly managed by Deka for private customers recorded net sales of around €90 million in 2025. One significant factor contributing to this is the exceptional stability the funds have demonstrated, even under the prevailing market conditions For institutional real estate funds, which are characterized by smaller volumes, the decline in net sales was less pronounced than in the previous year. This contributed to an overall positive net sales performance of approximately €20 million in the real estate business division. This clearly sets Deka apart from the market environment in Germany.
Net sales also remained positive at the start of 2026. In January, net sales of open-ended real estate funds for private investors amounted to around €240 million. In January, net sales are traditionally also influenced by reinvestments. Last year, returns after costs for Deka's large, established open-ended real estate funds ranged between 2 and 2.3 per cent, well above the industry average.
“The positive net sales in 2025 and the high reinvestment rate in January 2026 prove that investors have confidence in Deka's fund management. And rightly so, because Deka's funds have always generated positive returns to date. For 2026, we expect performance of between 2 and 3 per cent for the large, established funds. This proves that if open-ended real estate funds are structured and managed properly, they are indispensable for a diversified investment portfolio,"
says Dr Matthias Danne, Deka Board of Management member with responsibility for asset management.
Most active buyer in open-ended real estate funds
Thanks to high stability and constant inflows, Deka's fund managers were among the very few in the industry able to take advantage of the current market conditions to actively make acquisitions. In addition to 20 sales, all of which were made at a profit, totalling €1.53 billion, 12 purchases were also made, amounting to €1.14 billion.
“Our funds benefit from our consistent cash flow management, our focus on properties in prime locations and our decision not to engage in project development. This enables them to take advantage of investment opportunities arising in the current market environment. At present, Deka is the most active buyer among German providers of open-ended real estate funds. We are systematically leveraging the current market situation to further enhance the quality of our funds," adds Danne.
Asset management volume at €55.2 billion
The asset management volume of the business segment amounted to €55.2 billion at the end of 2025. Letting performance remained at a high level in 2025 thanks to the conclusion of rental agreements with a net annual rental volume of over €420 million. The occupancy rate for the overall portfolio stood at 93.7 per cent at the end of 2025, supporting the stable performance of the funds.