ECE Projektmanagement
Corporate brand
UnclaimedEuropean market leader in shopping center management, founded in 1965 by Werner Otto.
Last updated September 15, 2026
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Overview
ECE is a German real estate company founded in 1965 by mail-order pioneer Werner Otto, who brought the modern shopping center concept from North America to Germany. As a European market leader in the shopping center sector, ECE manages around 200 centers in ten countries with roughly 17,000 tenant partners. The company is owned by the Otto family and operates under the ECE Group umbrella alongside specialized units ECE Marketplaces, ParkProperty Europe, and ECE Real Estate Partners.
History
ECE was founded on 22 January 1965 by mail-order pioneer Werner Otto, who brought the modern shopping center concept from North America to Germany. The company developed the first classic shopping centers for the German market, including in Nuremberg, Hamburg, Frankfurt, Cologne, Bremen, Leonberg, and Essen. In 1974, ahead of the 1973 oil crisis, Werner Otto halted center expansion and Dr. Heinrich Kraft took over as chairman of ECE management, reorganizing the team and extending activities to office and logistics properties. Since 2000, Alexander Otto has been chairman of ECE management, under whose leadership ECE became a European market leader in shopping centers and expanded into a broadly positioned international real estate and investment group, the ECE Group.
Products and positioning
European market leader in shopping center management and full-service retail real estate partner.
Shopping center management
Real estate development
Fund management
Sources5 sources
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