Mobiliar, Visana, Securita and HRS acquire stakes in Messepark Bern AG

Messepark Bern AG is the owner of the Bernexpo site, one of the largest exhibition centers in Switzerland. It comprises eight exhibition halls in two building complexes and combines around 41,000 sqm of event space and 100,000 sqm of outdoor exhibition space. The company is also planning to build the New Festival Hall. This is intended to fill a gap in the market, as there are currently no venues in Bern for events, exhibitions or experiences with a capacity of up to 8,500 people, it says.

The three Bernese companies Mobiliar, Visana Beteiligungen AG, Securitas Group and the real estate service provider HRS Real Estate have now invested a total of 45% in the share capital of Messepark Bern. The public sector - the canton and city of Bern, the Burgergemeinde and the municipalities of Köniz, Ostermundigen and Muri - jointly hold 22.16%. Bernexpo Groupe retains a 32.6% stake in the company and is the general tenant of the exhibition halls and the open-air grounds. Further sales are conceivable, the group said.

From the point of view of Martin and Rebecca Kull, owners of HRS Real Estate, the site and location are ideal for further development: "The Messeplatz has excellent transport links, is centrally located and, with the Neue Festhalle, offers a lot of potential for additional uses."

The four new shareholders want to advocate for and co-finance a replacement of the old Festhalle. The executive and parliament of the city and canton of Bern will decide in the fall on the
Approval of the credit decide. In spring 2021, the population will
of the City of Bern and the Grand Council of the Canton decide on contributions of CHF 15 million each to the infrastructure costs of the New Festival Hall. (ah)