Hammerson owns 50 per cent of the Bullring shopping centre in Birmingham Jon Super/PAHammerson has claimed there is strong support for its proposed merger with Intu Properties, even as it heads for relegation from the FTSE 100. David Atkins, chief executive, said that he had held “very positive” one-to-one meetings with about 70 per cent of the shareholder register to discuss the deal. Hammerson owns shopping centres including Bicester Village and part of the Bullring in Birmingham, while Intu is best known for Lakeside in Essex and the Trafford Centre in Manchester. Hammerson surprised the market before Christmas when it announced a £3.4 billion all-stock merger with Intu, a would-be deal criticised in some quarters but lauded in others as essential in a retail market where scale is necessary. Mr Atkins is staking his career on the merger.…

Source: The Times February 27, 2018 00:00 UTC