Hammerson to exit retail parks with £400 million asset sale

(Reuters) - Shopping centre operator Hammerson said on Friday it will exit retail parks business by selling seven of them to private equity Orion for 400 million pounds as it faces a challenging retail environment in the UK.Hammerson has been trimming debt and fixing its balance sheet by divesting some its portfolio to focus on its flagship sites. "Against a challenged retail and investment backdrop we have exited the retail parks sector," Chief Executive Officer David Atkins said in a..