Christophe Garbe, Managing Partner of GARBE - Building a Pan-European Real Estate Powerhouse

Oct 13, 2025

Christophe Garbe, Managing Partner of GARBE, leads a pan-European real estate platform with a focus on logistics and emerging asset classes. He shares insights on scaling the family-run company from Hamburg to a €15 billion powerhouse spanning 13 countries. Christophe discusses navigating the Global Financial Crisis and the strategic decisions behind GARBE 2.0, emphasizing the importance of a decentralized model for growth. He also explores diversifying into residential and tech sectors, leveraging institutional relationships, and the significance of hiring top talent.

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ANECDOTE

Early Career At Westfield

Christophe Garbe's first real estate job was at Westfield in Australia, starting in asset management and advertising licenses.
That experience gave him deal-making and project management skills he later used at GARBE.

ANECDOTE

Fitzroy Square Lesson

During the GFC Christophe had to refinance a Fitzroy Square project and briefly handed it back to the bank.
Six weeks later Guy Ritchie bought the building, teaching Christophe to act on ideas faster.

ADVICE

Sequence Fees Before Development

Stabilize fee income before taking development risk so your business can survive downturns.
Use asset management to cover costs, then gradually reintroduce development to capture higher returns.

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Building a Pan-European Real Estate Powerhouse | Christophe Garbe (GARBE)

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Hey Everyone, Welcome Back!

What does it take to scale a family-run development business into a €15 billion pan-European real estate platform?

This week, I sat down with Christophe Garbe, Managing Partner of GARBE, to unpack how he grew the company from its Hamburg roots into one of Europe's leading logistics and real estate players — now operating across 13 countries with 21 offices.

Christophe shares his journey from joining the family business to taking over the UK arm just before the Global Financial Crisis, rationalising the platform, and spearheading GARBE's "2.0" strategy — doubling down on logistics, expanding into residential and science & tech, and building out a European development and fund management engine.

We explore how GARBE has navigated shifting market cycles, why decentralisation has been key to their growth, and how Christophe is positioning the business for the next chapter of European real estate.

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Key Topics Covered In This Episode:

✅ Scaling Across Europe – From Hamburg beginnings to a €15 billion platform spanning 13 countries

✅ Crisis Leadership – Taking over the UK business on the eve of the GFC

✅ Strategic Evolution – Logistics, residential, science & tech, data centres and beyond

✅ Decentralised Model – Empowering local teams to drive accountability and growth

✅ Lifelong Learning – How studying at Harvard sharpened strategic thinking despite dyslexia

✅ Market Outlook – Navigating uncertainty and spotting opportunities across European markets

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Oh, and one last thing…

In every episode, I ask each guest: Who are the People, what Property, and which Place they would invest in if they had £500m at their disposal?

Christophe's answer did not disappoint 👌

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