The construction and real estate industry continued to be under high pressure in 2025: rising construction costs, material shortages and generally subdued market dynamics shaped the environment. RATISBONA Handelsimmobilien has held its own in this challenging market environment and built 17 new food stores in timber construction throughout Germany last year. With these projects, the owner-managed company is consistently continuing its strategic focus on sustainable and circular construction in food retailing.
The experience from the projects completed in 2025 confirms that timber construction not only offers ecological advantages, but is also economically competitive. Thanks to standardized planning and construction processes as well as a high degree of prefabrication, construction costs were on average around five to seven percent lower than comparable conventional construction methods.
At the same time, the use of renewable raw materials reduces the need for CO₂-intensive materials. In the manufacturing phase, the stores bind significant amounts of CO₂ and thus make a measurable contribution to reducing the ecological footprint.
Added value for locations and municipalities
In addition to the construction method itself, the design of the outdoor facilities also played a central role in 2025. A total of around 26,000 m^2 of green space has been created at the new locations. The stores are supplemented by photovoltaic systems and battery storage systems, which cover an average of around 60 percent of the buildings’ energy requirements.
For the further development of outdoor space design, the eco-outdoor concept from RATISBONA was awarded the Bavarian Climate Protection Prize in 2025.
Circular economy as part of project development
RATISBONA Handelsimmobilien consistently follows the LOOP principle in its projects. Buildings are planned in such a way that materials can be dismantled and reused as individually as possible. The aim is to extend the life cycles of the building materials used and to understand real estate as a raw material store in the long term.
“The projects of the past year show that sustainable timber construction can be implemented even under difficult market conditions,” says Tobias Hümmer, Managing Director of RATISBONA Handelsimmobilien. “For us, it is crucial to develop solutions that prove themselves in everyday life and remain economically viable.”
Sebastian Schels, Managing Partner, adds: “Food markets are central building blocks of local supply. If we succeed in realizing these buildings in an energy-efficient, resource-saving and recyclable way, added value will be created for operators, municipalities and the environment alike.”
