Hammerson creates chief operating officer for its Premium Outlets

British property development and investment company Hammerson has appointed Maxime Depreux to the newly created post of chief operating officer of Premium Outlets, with responsibility for the group’s European outlets portfolio, which includes Bicester Village.

Depreux will report into Hammerson’s chief financial officer and managing director of Premium Outlets, Timon Drakesmith, and will set about enhancing the group’s current portfolio as well as driving further growth, said the group.

The Premium Outlets division was set up in 2014 and through its associated companies VIA Outlets and Value Retail, Hammerson now operates a portfolio of 19 outlet villages across Europe. In 2016, Hammerson strengthened its investments in Value Retail and VIA, increasing its stake in Value Retail to over 40 percent of net assets.

Drakesmith, said: “2016 marked a pivotal year in the evolution of our outlet business, as we increased our stake in Value Retail and achieved critical scale in the European outlets market through VIA.

“Now is the right time to bolster our management resources, and I am delighted that Maxime will be taking on the newly created role of COO – Premium Outlets. Maxime has been a central part of the outlets portfolio for a number of years and will work closely with the Value Retail and VIA Outlets teams to continue to enhance the portfolio and drive further growth.”

The appointment coincided with the opening of a 74,000 square foot extension at the Batavia Stad Fashion Outlet in The Netherlands. The extension consists of 40 new stores, widening the brand portfolio to include G-Star, Marlies Dekkers, Samsonite and Watch Station. In addition, as part of the extension project, other labels including Tommy Hilfiger, Guess and Lindt have upsized into larger store concepts.

Hammerson’s other premium outlets includes Kildare Village in Ireland, Freeport Lisbon Fashion Outlet in Portugal, Hede Fashion Outlet in Sweden, as well as outlets in Italy, the Czech Republic, Germany, France, Spain, Switzerland, and Belgium.