Hammerson and APG increase their ownership in VIA Outlets

VIA Outlets, an owner-operator of premium outlet centers in Europe, has confirmed that both Hammerson and APG have each increased their ownership to create a 50-50 joint venture.

Hammerson and APG purchased the balance of shares for €32 million ($35 million) each from former operating partners Value Retail and Meyer Bergman.

Last year VIA Outlets delivered a strong trading performance across its 11 centers with brand sales of €1.07 billion (+9 percent on 2017/$1.17 billion), as well as a 4 percent increase in footfall ushering in over 30 million visitors.

The figures continued into 2019 with the business witnessing a 10 percent increase in brand sales and an 8 percent increase in footfall.

“Our investment in VIA Outlets is a major differentiator for Hammerson as this is a sector which continues to deliver value creation, as well as significant growth in brand sales and footfall,” said David Atkins, CEO of Hammerson. “The management team at VIA O