Hammerson appoints chief operating officer for premium outlets
Shopping centre operator Hammerson has appointed Maxime Depreux to the newly created role of chief operating officer – premium outlets.
Having now taken on responsibility for Hammerson’s European outlets portfolio, Depreux began working at Hammerson France as an asset manager in 2009 before joining the outlets team as investment director in 2014 following the creation of VIA Outlets.
In his new role, he will report to Timon Drakesmith, Hammerson’s chief financial officer and managing director – premium outlets.
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 coincides with the recent opening of a 6,900 square metre extension at Batavia Stad Fashion Outlet in The Netherlands. The extension houses 40 new stores including the likes of G-Star, Marlies Dekkers, Samsonite and Watch Station. In addition, brands such as Tommy Hilfiger, Guess and Lindt have upsized into larger store concepts.
Acquired by VIA Outlets in 2014, Batavia Stad Fashion Outlet is home to 250 international brands and welcomes over two million customers each year.
