Hammerson sells £67m Abbotsinch Retail Park to Ashby

Hammerson plc said on Monday it exchanged contracts for the sale of Abbotsinch Retail Park, Paisley, to Ashby Capital for £67 million.

It said the sale price represents a net initial yield of 7.8% and is 3% below book value as at June 30, 2019.

“Covering 24,600mof floor space, Abbotsinch is conveniently located five miles west of Glasgow and is fully let to a high quality line up of brands including an anchor B&Q, Dunelm, Tapi and Natuzzi,” said Hammerson.

“Hammerson acquired the site in 2012 for £42m and has added over 8,700mof retail floor space since then through phased developments, at a cost of £17m.

“This expansion brought eight new brands onto the scheme, increasing the tenant line up from six to 14, and cemented Abbotsinch’s position as the leading furniture and homeware retail park in Scotland.

“As a result of these works, the average rent per square foot rose from £17.78 in 2012 to £20.95 in 2019.”

Hammerson chief executive David Atkins said: “Our absolute priority is to reduce debt, and with this deal we have exceeded our target of over £500m in disposals in 2019.

“We continue to progress negotiations on additional assets across the portfolio.

“Disposals enable us to prove the value of this business and strengthen our balance sheet, and also give us the flexibility to benefit from the opportunities that will arise in the coming years, particularly with regards to our City Quarters pipeline.”