Westfield sale looks like a knee-jerk reaction to the Amazon age | Nils Pratley

The rush to consolidate by owners of large shopping centres suggests they are seeking protection from the rise of online rivalsThe crisis of confidence among owners of large shopping centres is contagious. Last week it was Hammerson, the Birmingham Bullring folk, bidding for Intu, owner of Gateshead’s Metrocentre. Now, on grander scale, French giant Unibail-Rodamco is paying $25bn (£18.5bn) to own Westfield, the Australian outfit that has erected its multistorey car parks, with malls attached, in east and west London. Related: Europe's biggest mall owner buys Westfield for $25bn Related: Big Meat and Big Dairy's climate emissions put Exxon Mobil to shame | Juliette Majot and Devlin Kuyek Continue reading...