DWS is acquiring 100 percent of the shares in Peakside Capital Advisors. The seller is a shareholder group around the two founders and managing partners Stefan Aumann and Boris Schran, as DWS announced on Monday. The parties did not disclose financial details of the transaction.

The closing is scheduled for the end of 2026 and remains subject to regulatory approvals.

Expansion of the alternatives business

According to DWS, Peakside is particularly attractive because of its focus on “value-add and opportunistic real estate investments.” This involves acquiring properties with development or restructuring potential and actively managing them to increase their value.

Peakside brings this expertise to bear particularly in Germany and Central and Eastern Europe. The company invests in office, retail, logistics and residential properties. According to its own figures, it currently manages more than 1.7 billion euros, primarily for institutional investors.    

Zug-based firm with 45 employees

Peakside is not a classic Swiss real estate company. While its headquarters are in Zug, its operating real estate business is heavily focused on Germany and Central and Eastern Europe.

The investment manager employs around 45 people at its offices in Frankfurt, Zug, Warsaw, Prague, Munich and Luxembourg. Since its founding, Peakside says it has acquired real estate worth more than 4.7 billion euros for investors. Its range extends from individual existing properties and development projects to entire portfolios and real estate companies.

More than 360 million euros in transaction volume

Recently, Peakside has significantly expanded its activities. In 2025 alone, the company completed real estate transactions in Germany worth more than 360 million euros. Its residential platform was expanded to more than 800 units; at the same time, its retail property portfolio grew to more than 100,000 square meters.  

In March, Peakside also founded Food Anchor Management GmbH together with Stoke Park Capital. The platform launched with 35 properties and an investment volume of around 150 million euros. By 2026, the volume is expected to rise to 300 million euros.   

At the same time, Peakside is preparing a new value-add fund for Germany. The focus is on special situations, repositionings and distressed assets, among other things.

Founders remain on board

With Peakside, DWS is not only taking over the assets under management and investment strategies, but also the existing management team. The previous owners are expected to stay with the company after the transaction closes. This also applies to senior managers Frank Schäfer and Karol Maziukiewicz. According to the announcement, personnel continuity is also planned for the rest of the team.

This means that the Zug-based company will have a new owner, but operations will initially continue with its existing management team. 

Stefan Hoops, Chairman of the Executive Board of DWS, said: “The acquisition of Peakside is an important step in strengthening our alternatives platform. Peakside complements our existing capabilities with a compelling track record and proven investment expertise in value-add and opportunistic real estate investments in Europe.” 

Stefan Aumann, founder and managing partner of Peakside, added: “By combining our investment expertise with DWS’s client relationships, distribution capabilities and global platform, we see significant opportunities to expand the business and further develop solutions for our investors.”