Hammerson has purchased a 50% stake in Manchester's Arndale shopping centre for £218m as the firm pivots towards external acquisitions in a bid to scale the business. The 50% stake was acquired from Palma Arndale BidCo and marks Hammerson’s first major external acquisition in over a decade. The acquisition was announced alongside the listed property giant’s half-year results, in which it reported strong earnings growth of 33%. Loading…The update for the six months to 30 June 2026 revealed a 40% increase in total rental income and EPRA earnings growth of 33% to £64m. That operational performance has really helped drive part of the earnings growth, and that has given us confidence to up the guidance we have for 2026 to £132m.