Hammerson delays Intu link-up as it waits on French rival’s offer
Company looking for clarity from Klepierre
SHOPPING CENTRE group Hammerson, which owns the Victoria Gate development in Leeds, has said it will not finalise its £3.4bn tie-up with Intu until it receives clarity on a takeover approach from French rival Klepierre.
The shopping centre giant said in a trading statement that while Klepierre’s position “remains unclear”, the board does not intend to finalise shareholder documents in relation to the proposed acquisition of Intu.
Hammerson has branded Klepierre’s £4.9bn cash-andshares offer “wholly inadequate” and “entirely opportunistic”, but the French firm has until April 16 to “put up or shut up” with a formal offer.
Hammerson said it would prefer to press ahead with an all-share takeover of rival Intu, which would create Britain’s biggest property company with £21bn worth of assets across Europe.
Intu operates the Trafford Centre in Manchester, while Hammerson owns Victoria Gate, the Bicester Village and Brent Cross shopping centres.
Hammerson also shed some light on first-quarter trading, pointing to a combination of severe weather and subdued consumer confidence weighing on UK retail sales, which were down 2 per cent.
However, Hammerson said that its shopping centres outperformed the market.
Footfall at Hammerson’s UK centres rose 0.5 per cent over the quarter and were up 5 per cent over the Easter weekend.
The group also flagged a £3.5m hit to net rental income from the wave of retail restructurings and administrations that have afflicted the sector, including Toys R Us and New Look.
David Atkins, Hammerson’s chief executive, said: “Whilst we recognise the difficult trading environment and challenges felt by many retail and restaurant formats in the UK, there continues to be good demand for space across our centres.”
The value of Hammerson’s assets rose 0.3 per cent to over £10.5bn and the firm said it would offload £500m worth of properties over the year.
Analyst David Brockton at Liberum said: “Hammerson’s first quarter confirms a relatively steady start to the year, although the impact of CVAs has weighed on rental income.
“Leasing activity remained positive, 6 per cent ahead of prior passing rents, and 3 per cent above ERV, led by Ireland.”
Mr Brockton said footfall at Hammerson centres remains resilient, up 0.5 per cent in the UK and up 3.5 per cent in France, with a continued strong performance over the Easter weekend, up 5.3 per cent versus minus 2.4 per cent for the wider retail market.
“Prospects for UK retail remain challenged as evidenced by retail sales performance falling 2.0 per cent in the quarter,” he said.
“However, Hammerson’s destination-led portfolio and regional diversity continues to provide positive offset. Recent CVA and administrations are nevertheless expected to reduce net rental income by £3.5m prior to any leasing activity to re-let affected units.”
Victoria Gate, which opened in October 2016, forms part of the 53,400 sq m Victoria Leeds shopping destination.
Anchored by John Lewis’s first store in the city, the arcades are also home to a range of premium brands including Anthropologie, GANT, Hackett, Joules, Aspinal of London, CAU, Le Pain Quotidien and international restaurant group D&D.
Over 75 per cent of the brands at Victoria Gate are new to the city as Hammerson is keen to make the site a destination shopping centre.