DLA Piper advises Heidelberger Druckmaschinen on the relocation of its UK customer headquarters

DLA Piper has advised Heidelberger Druckmaschinen AG ("Heidelberg") on the relocation of its customer headquarters in the UK. Having already established its new logistics center in the north of London last year, the company is now also planning to relocate its customer headquarters to the western edge of London. The move is scheduled to take place before the end of the 2021 calendar year.

The previous property in Brentford was sold to the real estate developer Fairview New Homes Ltd. (Fairview). Fairview is a British developer of high-quality residential units and houses in London, founded in 1961. Heidelberg expects the transaction, with an agreed purchase price in the mid-double-digit million euro range, to take effect in the last quarter of 2021.

The planned relocation of the sales headquarters will enable Heidelberg to serve their customers in the UK even more efficiently in the future. In addition, the disposal of the vacated property in Brentford is an important step in the ongoing adjustment of Heidelberg´s structures. By using space more efficiently, the company will save considerable costs in the future. Heidelberg will use the funds thus freed up to strengthen the liquidity and continue to drive forward strategic investments for the future on the path of the digital transformation.

Heidelberg UK has around 160 employees serving around 1,400 customers in the UK and Ireland. The market is one of Heidelberg's top ten markets.

The DLA Piper team was jointly led by partners Dr Benjamin Parameswaran (Corporate/M&A, Hamburg) and Jonathan Northey (Real Estate, London) and also included partners Dr Henriette Norda (Employment, Hamburg) and Joel Eytle (Pensions, London).

The in-house team at Heidelberger was led by Sascha Donat, Head of M&A.