by
Thomas Niss
 
02.11.2017

Own Austria: Or why an increasing number of people are pleased about the success of Immofinanz

Domestic companies such as Wienerberger, Austrian Airlines, and also Immofinanz, are becoming ever more popular. The reasons for this are not only based on corporate performance or social contribution. It also comes down to the rather mundane fact that an increasing number of people are participating in the success of these companies. How? With the help of Own Austria.A brief explanation: Own Austria has been available since May. A Viennese securities firm with the goal of enabling all Austrians to benefit from long-term corporate value creation is behind the name. It aims to achieve this through a fund - the Own Austria Location fund. And it has a lot to offer.

It always includes the 250 tradable companies which are important to us Austrians. It is principally weighted based on the number of domestic employees and domestic turnover. Immofinanz ranks within the top 50 according to both criteria. Alongside national heavyweights, one is also in the company of international names such as Apple, Siemens and BMW.

The primary consideration is not earning a quick return, but sharing in the long-term profit from corporate value creation. To this end, Own Austria aims to encourage people with the motto "Earning from Everyday Life", raising awareness on the part of (primarily) retail investors that they also make a return every time a car is filled up, a yoghurt is eaten, or a property is rented.

The numbers alone show that this mind shift is important for Austria. After all, the bulk of Austrian private wealth is being eroded in bank accounts earning no interest, in fixed term deposit accounts or under the mattress, while equities are rejected as too risky by the population. However, with increasing levels of automation in the labour market, everyone should be giving some thought to future sources of income.

To increase the appeal of this type of investment for more people, the main requirement is a good understanding. It is only when one knows where one's money is invested that one can have long-term faith in the investment. The Own Austria App does this. It keeps investors up-to-date on what is happening in "their" 250 companies and their innumerable brands on a daily basis. We also looked at Immofinanz and its myhive brand.

Thankfully, we were actively supported by Bettina Schragl and the Immofinanz team in our coverage. Having been very well informed, we were able to familiarise Own Austria investors with myhive. A very smart way - in our view - to market office properties in the future. The approach is not only based on location and number of square metres, but on everything offered by the property, with services ranging from guarded storage facilities to concierge and kindergarten.

The feedback from our thousands of "co-owners" to the report featuring the "Office with Benefits" was very positive, as was shown by the numerous Likes on the App. Additionally, a large number took part in the subsequent survey.

The question was asked about which services Immofinanz should offer as part of the myhive concept. At 57 per cent, the majority said fitness studio. Other services named in the survey were laundry facilities and bicycle storage facilities with showers, voted for by 20 and 23 per cent, respectively.

The extent to which these results will play a part in the future property concept remains to be seen. But one thing is for certain: Our investors wish myhive and Immofinanz all the best.

Authors: Thomas Niss, Nikolaus Bubna-Litic