A new player enters the field of private student housing investments in Poland. roomies is a startup with the aim to invest in PBSA in Poland and to develop more than 2,000 units within the next 5 years.
The founder and CEO of roomies is Nikolas Löbel. He has more than 10 years of experience in the development of residential and co-living projects in Germany and Poland. The investors of roomies are the owners of the Lagerbox group. With more than 40 locations under operation and some 15 additional projects in the pipeline, Lagerbox is one of the largest providers of self-storage in Germany and the Netherlands.
"I am delighted that we have been able to win Lagerbox and its founder Peter N. Blauw for our idea of raising new capital in the private student accommodation sector. With Lagerbox’ s experience, network and capital strength as well as our team of experienced and highly motivated experts here in Poland, we will start the market entry with a comprehensive acquisition strategy. Our initial focus is on the cities of Warsaw, Wrocław, Kraków, Poznań and Gdańsk. We buy, develop and operate our locations from a single source. Our approach is to make an offer in the PBSA sector that does not yet exist. Roomies stands for attractive accommodation with an all-inclusive offer for the current student generation. In these days students want maximum flexibility and not only an attractive housing offer but also an attitude to life. This is what roomies stands for", says CEO & founder Nikolas Löbel.
"Poland is currently probably the most economically attractive country in the European Union. The highest growth of GDP, rapidly rising student numbers and attractive development opportunities in the real estate sector compared to the rest of Europe have convinced us that we are financing a very attractive startup with roomies," says Peter N. Blauw, Chairman of the Board and majority owner of the Lagerbox group.
With over 1.2 million students, more than 100,000 international students, Poland is an increasingly attractive study destination to gain internationally recognized qualifications at a fraction of the cost compared to their home countries. However, accommodation in existing public university buildings often fails to meet students' expectations, as they are often outdated and have limited facilities. This leads to a massive undersupply of modern private PBSAs. The bed supply for full-time students in private and modern PBSAs in Poland is only 1.6%. Currently, only about 15,000 beds are operated by 9 major providers across Poland, reflecting the massive shortage of student accommodation, which is exacerbated by the increasing internationalization of Polish universities.
