History of the Schörghuber Group

The story of what is today a successful family-owned company begins in 1954 in Munich, when Josef Schörghuber founds Bayerische Hausbau. In the years that follow, the qualified civil engineer and son of a carpenter, lays the foundation for more than six decades of tradition and innovation with numerous development projects executed by his property development company.

While Bayerische Hausbau grows successfully during the 1960s, Josef Schörghuber turns his attention to other areas of business. He recognizes the Germans' desire to travel as an opportunity and first becomes involved in scheduled airline operations, with a stake in the airline Bavaria Fluggesellschaft, and later also in the charter business, with a stake in Germanair. He gives the latter up in 1979 and the majority of the aircraft are sold to Hapag-Lloyd. The remaining airplanes form the basis of the business division aircraft leasing.

At the end of the 1970s, the acquisition of the majority of the shares in Hacker Pschorr marks the birth of the Beverages division. That same year, Josef Schörghuber also acquires a majority shareholding in Paulaner-Salvator-Thomasbräu and Kulmbacher Reichelbräu. To the traditionally-minded businessman, the rise to brewers of distinction is no less interesting than the long-established breweries' lucrative portfolio of properties.

Stefan Schörghuber succeeds his father, taking the helm of the Group. As chairman of the executive board, he assumes responsible for guiding the fortunes of the family-owned company from this point on. The businessman cut his teeth early. At the tender age of 23, he assumed responsibility for the Hotels division, established golfing activities on Mallorca and pushed ahead with expansion in this business area. From 1990 on, he represented the division on the holding company's executive board.

In the same year, Stefan Schörghuber takes the Hotels division to a new level when he enters into a joint venture with ITT Sheraton, today Marriott. From this time on, the hotels in the Group carry the hotel partner's renowned brand names such as St. Regis, The Westin and Sheraton.

The restructuring of the corporate group moves forward. The Group's construction and real estate know-how, developed over decades, is bundled under the roof of Bayerische Bau und Immobilien Gruppe. From 2012 on, business in this field is once again conducted under the name Bayerische Hausbau, a clear nod to the rich history of the business division.

Under the management of Alexandra Schörghuber and Dr. Klaus N. Naeve, as chairman of the executive board, the corporate group continues to adapt to changing market conditions. Although the Aircraft Leasing division remains profitable thanks to skillfully negotiated contracts, the outlook for the future, in the face of competition from much bigger market players, is bleak. The airliners are therefore sold and activity in this field of business comes to an end after almost 30 years.

In 2011, the Schörghuber Group expands into a new area of business. The salmon farming activities bundled under the roof of Productos del Mar Ventisqueros are transferred from the Schörghuber family’s private business realm to the Schörghuber Group as a fourth business division, Seafood. The company primarily supplies its products to the markets in Japan, the USA and Brazil and is one of Chile's top 10 producers of farmed salmon.

In the beginning of 2016 the Westin Hamburg welcomed its first guests. The hotel spans 21 floors of the Elbphilharmonie, boasts 205 rooms and 39 suites and counts among the group’s hotel division’s most prestigious objects. Within its first year it also proved to be one of the most successful.