Maersk, Hamburg Süd, Sealand and KGH to move into “Johann Kontor” in the Kontorhaus District

Upscale new complex in Hamburg’s city centre will become one of the city’s largest maritime logistics clusters.

Maersk, the world’s largest integrator in container logistics, as well as its subsidiaries Hamburg Süd, Sealand Europe and KGH are to move into the “Johann Kontor”, a building complex currently under construction, in 2023. A corresponding lease agreement for the new building of the Johann Kontor, located between Klosterwall and the Kontorhaus District in downtown Hamburg, was signed today with the developer AUG. PRIEN Immobilien. The leasing company is a joint enterprise of AUG. PRIEN Immobilien and CAPTIVA. The real estate experts at CBRE played an advisory role in the property-selection process.

The future location will become one of the most important clusters of maritime container logistics in Hamburg. Maersk, Hamburg Süd and Sealand are now offering their customers a wide range of services beyond maritime transport, enabling fully integrated door-to-door container logistics from a single source – from hinterland transports and cargo consolidation to various value-added services and air freight for time-sensitive shipments. KGH provides fast and professional customs brokerage services worldwide.

The office building is scheduled to be completed and occupied in the second half of 2023. The Johann Kontor complex will become a new, multi-functional head office of the Maersk Group in Germany. For Maersk and Sealand, it will house the head offices of their respective North West Continent Areas, which manage their business in Germany, Austria, Switzerland and the Benelux countries. For Hamburg Süd, the complex will be home to the German business unit as well as the global organization.

“By bringing together all the employees of all the Maersk Group brands in Hamburg, we are concentrating a great deal of expertise in one central location, which will enable us to serve our customers even better regardless of how complex their logistics needs may be,” says Jens-Ole Krenzien, Managing Director of the North West Continent Area at Maersk. “Furthermore, the Johann Kontor will be a top-notch building in terms of sustainability, and will offer a very modern and collaborative working environment with a first-class design and flexible solutions for teamwork and meetings of all kinds.” As a Danish company, Maersk sets standards in this respect.

“Shipping is absolutely a people business, so in-person contact is very important. The employees of the various brands are looking forward to finally being physically closer to each other and being able to effortlessly encounter each other in person every day instead of working at four different locations in the city centre,” says Hamburg Süd CEO Poul Hestbaek. “After it was clear that we would be leaving our old Hamburg Süd building on Willy-Brandt-Straße and that it would be sold, our employees were very excited about their new, future home. The Johann Kontor complex won out in the selection process also because it is centrally located in a very attractive neighbourhood and therefore easy to commute to by bike or public transport.”