Lockdown hammers commercial landlord Hammerson
Three quarters of the tenants of shopping-centre operator Hammerson have been forced to close during the lockdown.
Thanks to the lockdown, only a quarter of shopping centre Hammerson’s tenants are allowed to remain open, says Joanna Bourke in the Evening Standard. Shops in its sites in France are subject to a 6pm curfew. It has therefore been forced to agree “rent holidays, deferrals and ... monthly payments for some firms across its estate”. Hammerson collected“just 41%” of the rent it was due to receive for the first quarter of 2021, though this is an improvement on what it received when the first lockdown was imposed.
Even before the crisis, Hammerson was under “sustained pressure”, with retailers struggling to contend with “online competition, high business rates and rising wage costs”, says Louisa Clarence-Smith in The Times. Since March retailers have paid only about 50% of the rent owed to landlords. With the shares down by 80% from the peak and finance chief James Lenton, who only joined the company in September 2019, set to quit, analysts are warning that the company is “still too highly geared”, with a 42% loan-to-value ratio even after a £552m survival rights issue in August.
The fate of rival property firm Intu is a cautionary tale for Hammerson’s investors, says George Hammond in the Financial Times. It was forced into administration last summer and then suffered the indignity of a “lack of willing buyers” for its portfolio of shopping centres. Even the Trafford Centre in Manchester, considered “the jewel in Intu’s crown”, is now owned by one of its lenders after a sales process “failed to attract any viable bids”.
Subscribe to MoneyWeek
Subscribe to MoneyWeek today and get your first six magazine issues absolutely FREE
Sign up to Money Morning
Don't miss the latest investment and personal finances news, market analysis, plus money-saving tips with our free twice-daily newsletter
Don't miss the latest investment and personal finances news, market analysis, plus money-saving tips with our free twice-daily newsletter
Matthew graduated from the University of Durham in 2004; he then gained an MSc, followed by a PhD at the London School of Economics.
He has previously written for a wide range of publications, including the Guardian and the Economist, and also helped to run a newsletter on terrorism. He has spent time at Lehman Brothers, Citigroup and the consultancy Lombard Street Research.
Matthew is the author of Superinvestors: Lessons from the greatest investors in history, published by Harriman House, which has been translated into several languages. His second book, Investing Explained: The Accessible Guide to Building an Investment Portfolio, is published by Kogan Page.
As senior writer, he writes the shares and politics & economics pages, as well as weekly Blowing It and Great Frauds in History columns He also writes a fortnightly reviews page and trading tips, as well as regular cover stories and multi-page investment focus features.
Follow Matthew on Twitter: @DrMatthewPartri
-
Copycat banking websites on the rise - how to spot one
Over 2,000 banking copycat websites were reported as phishing scams in 2023, according to Which? But how do you know if the banking site you're about to use is real?
By Oojal Dhanjal Published
-
Saving for retirement: ISAs vs. SIPPs
Features SIPPs offer more generous tax breaks overall, but ISAs are more flexible. So, which is better?
By Marc Shoffman Last updated
-
What to consider before investing in small-cap indexes
Small-cap index trackers show why your choice of benchmark can make a large difference to long-term returns
By Cris Sholto Heaton Published
-
Why space investments are the way to go for investors
Space investments will change our world beyond recognition, UK investors should take note
By Merryn Somerset Webb Published
-
Time to tap into Africa’s mobile money boom
Favourable demographics have put Africa on the path to growth when it comes to mobile money and digital banking
By Rupert Hargreaves Published
-
M&S is back in fashion: but how long can this success last?
M&S has exceeded expectations in the past few years, but can it keep up the momentum?
By Rupert Hargreaves Published
-
The end of China’s boom
Like the US, China too got fat on fake money. Now, China's doom is not far away.
By Bill Bonner Published
-
Magic mushrooms — an investment boom or doom?
Investing in these promising medical developments might see you embark on the trip of a lifetime.
By Bruce Packard Published
-
What pension providers don't tell you about your retirement money
Check the small print from your pension provider or risk losing thousands.
By Merryn Somerset Webb Published
-
Should you invest in sector funds?
Sector funds can be a useful way to fine-tune a portfolio or track a theme, but check what the index holds.
By Cris Sholto Heaton Published