Panattoni, the leading project developer for industry and logistics premises in Europe, is implementing a tailored construction solution for Spielkartenfabrik Altenburg GmbH in Altenburg, Thuringia. Spielkartenfabrik Altenburg is Europe’s oldest developer and producer of playing cards and is now owned by international playing card manufacturer Cartamundi from Belgium. The new building will provide a modern workspace for the staff, opportunities for further growth, and new jobs for the region. Spielkartenfabrik is thus further consolidating its presence in its traditional home of Altenburg and is showing its commitment to the city and its history.
“We are pleased to have such an experienced project developer as Panattoni on board. They expertly incorporated and implemented our production-related requirements in the building development plans and are thus creating a modern workplace for our staff. The new building will allow us to grow further and create new jobs without having to abandon our traditional location,” says Jürgen Gehr, Vice President Publishing CEE of Cartamundi Group and Managing Director of Spielkartenfabrik Altenburg GmbH.
Thuringia’s Economy Minister, Wolfgang Tiefensee, is confident that the investment will secure the competitiveness and continued growth of Spielkartenfabrik in its traditional home of Altenburg for years to come. He also believes it will allow the well-known East Thuringian card and game producer to set itself up as a key player in the overall conception of the planned and state-supported “Spielewelt Altenburg” project – a multimedia game museum. “The city of Altenburg is famous for creating the game of skat in the 19th century. The region draws economic strength and touristic appeal from these roots to this day. And Spielkartenfabrik’s expansion will put even more wind in the proverbial sails.”
The future building is being developed on a patch of brownfield land measuring 77,500 m2 and, once completed, will consist of approx. 17,500 m2 of production and warehouse space and approx. 2,700 m2 of office and social space. The generous amount of outside space will be used for car and lorry parking spaces as well as for compensatory measures, among other things. The comprehensive technical equipment for the building will meet the stringent requirements for paper processing thanks to extraction systems, ambient temperature regulation and waste heat. This will enable the renter to produce their traditional playing cards and extensive range of family, educational and board games, and they will also be using the building for storage, logistics, administration, and as the flagship location for clients and partners.
Panattoni is aiming for Platinum certification from the German Sustainable Building Council (DGNB) for the property development and, in order to achieve this, is implementing a comprehensive package of measures for protecting the climate, environment, and wildlife as well as for achieving social sustainability. In addition to the installation of a cistern for collecting water to be used for flushing toilets and watering plants, e-charging stations will be provided for low-emission mobility. On top of that, the roof structure of the new building will be prepared for solar panels. The outdoor facilities will include boules and barbecue area as spaces for the staff to rest and recuperate. There will also be a wild flower meadow and a number of beehives.
Panattoni is developing the property in the business and industrial park Altenburg Nord-Ost, which is close to and thus within easy reach of the city centre. It also has very good links to the B93 and B180 federal roads and to the Altenburg railway station. From there, city trains travel to Leipzig and to Halle (Saale).
Andreas Krey, Managing Director of Landesentwicklungsgesellschaft Thüringen mbH (LEG Thüringen), explains: “The new premises for Spielkartenfabrik Altenburg will strengthen the economy of Altenburg and the entire region. We welcome the coordination and cooperation based on trust and partnership between everyone involved.”
“One of the last large commercial plots in Altenburg is being given over to a modern production, logistics and administration site that will provide Spielkartenfabrik Altenburg with the ideal conditions for continued growth thanks to its convenient location and the possibility of expansion,” says André Neumann, Mayor of the City of Altenburg, commenting on the project.
Within the scope of revitalisation work, Panattoni is conducting a partial clean-up of old waste and potential contamination, as the site was used in the past as an ammunition storage location by the Red Army. And in order to enable optimal use of the entire site for the new building and in order to allow for potential expansion, the closure and demolition of a public road, as well as the re-routing of a water pipe, are required in addition to an amendment to the development plan.
Fred-Markus Bohne, Managing Director at Panattoni for Germany and Austria, commented on the new project development as follows: “We are building for Spielkartenfabrik Altenburg GmbH in an outstanding location in Thuringia with great economic significance. We would like to thank the company for their trust in us as we expand their site and we look forward to our continued collaboration.”
Construction work began in February 2022 with installing the drinking water supply. The project developer expects completion in December 2022, after which the site can be put into operation by Spielkartenfabrik Altenburg GmbH in the spring of 2023.
Steffen Sauer of the Leipzig branch of Colliers International Deutschland GmbH was responsible for mediating the client.
About Spielkartenfabrik Altenburg GmbH:
Spielkartenfabrik Altenburg GmbH is one of the oldest and best-known companies in the field of playing card manufacture in Europe. Since 2002, it has been owned by the Belgian Cartamundi group, which pools expertise in the field of card and game production with locations around the world. The current location in Altenburg houses over 300 staff, with over 14 million box games produced and almost 40 million card decks printed every year. Manufacturing activities are split into the three business areas of retail, advertising materials and publishing production.
The toy market has undergone immense change in recent years and Spielkartenfabrik also has to adapt. In the future, there is to be a clear separation between the retail and advertising business and (publishing) production, so that the complex business models can continue to grow. As such, the new building will provide new space for the production side of things. Spielkartenfabrik Altenburg GmbH (which will operate under the name of Cartamundi Germany GmbH from the middle of this year) will move into the new premises. The retail and advertising business (ASS Altenburger German GmbH from mid-year) will remain at the historical location at Leipziger Strasse 7 in Altenburg.
