French shopping centre giant Klépierre has stepped up attempts to derail a tie-up of UK mall owners Hammerson and Intu, secretly laying the ground for a bid battle that threatens to turn hostile.
It is understood that Klépierre has held talks with Hammerson’s top shareholders, urging them to force the firm to consider its takeover proposal. The Paris-based company offered 615p a share, worth £4.9bn.
Hammerson, which owns British shopping centres including Brent Cross in London and the Bullring in Birmingham, confirmed last week that it had dismissed an approach from Klépierre and instead plans to press ahead with a £3.4bn takeover of Intu.
In recent days, the French have made it clear to Hammerson’s...