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Redwood coordinates Hermes’ announcement of Bluewater Shopping Centre sale

1 October 2010

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Hermes Real Estate recently announced the sale of its 7.5% stake in Bluewater to the national and trade press and potential new investors. Due to the prominence of the centre, the inevitable queries on the implications of the sale for Hermes' investment strategy and ongoing retail trend analyses, interest in the sale was bound to be high. A proactive internal and external communications programme was developed and delivered, with ongoing liaison with Hermes and agents HP Four at its core to ensure a coordinated message from all parties and to minimise the risk of a leak.

The priority for external communications was to secure coverage in the Financial Times in order to support and enable the international marketing campaign. This was achieved through an exclusive interview, timed to coincide with HP Four's notification of the sale to tier one and two potential investors. Immediately following coverage of the sale in the FT, a press release was distributed to wider national and trade press, with blanket positive coverage achieved in Estates Gazette and Property Week as well as retail press. Requests for follow up interviews were then considered on a case by case basis.