UK REIT Hammerson has strengthened its senior retail team with the appointment of Martin Plocica as retail portfolio director.

UK REIT Hammerson has strengthened its senior retail team with the appointment of Martin Plocica as retail portfolio director.

Plocica brings international retail experience to the role, having worked at Simon Property Group in the US for the past 25 years. Starting out as a shopping centre manager, he then held various positions at head office level working on business development and asset management before focusing on joint venture opportunities in international markets including China and India.

Plocica will have responsibility for some of Hammerson's major shopping centres including Bullring, Union Square, Silverburn, Highcross and Centrale. His key task is to grow the value of the assets through development and value-add initiatives.