Case Studies > Hammerson & Horizon A Partnership for Progress

Hammerson & Horizon A Partnership for Progress

Company Size

1,000+

Region

Europe

Country

France
United Kingdom

Product

Horizon

Tech Stack

Property Management System
Financial Accounting System
Data Migration

Implementation Scale

Enterprise-wide Deployment

Impact Metrics

Cost Savings
Customer Satisfaction
Digital Expertise
Productivity Improvements

Technology Category

Analytics & Modeling - Real Time Analytics
Functional Applications - Enterprise Resource Planning Systems (ERP)
Functional Applications - Remote Monitoring & Control Systems

Applicable Functions

Business Operation
Facility Management

Use Cases

Asset Health Management (AHM)
Building Automation & Control
Predictive Maintenance

Services

Software Design & Engineering Services
System Integration
Training

About The Customer

Hammerson is a FTSE 100 company and a leading pan-European real estate investor, ranking as the third largest in the UK. The company owns a diverse portfolio of retail parks and shopping centers, including ten major shopping centers in the UK and ten in France. Notable properties include The Bull Ring in Birmingham, Brent Cross in London, and High Cross in Leicester. Hammerson's UK and French portfolio is valued at £5.7 billion. The company's vision is to be the best owner-manager of retail property in Europe, focusing on having the right properties in prime locations and attracting the right mix of retailers and brands. Hammerson's operations involve meticulous scrutiny of sales numbers, tenant performance, and financial stability, especially during challenging economic times. The company also aims to meet retailers' increasing expectations regarding services like cleaning, security, and lighting, necessitating a robust property management system. Hammerson has been using Qube Global Software's Horizon property management system for many years to manage its extensive portfolio and deliver high-quality services.

The Challenge

Hammerson, a leading pan-European real estate investor, faced significant challenges in managing its extensive portfolio of retail properties. The company needed to attract the right mix of retailers and brands, which required detailed scrutiny of sales numbers and quick identification of tenants' financial difficulties. Additionally, Hammerson had to meet increasing retailer expectations regarding cleaning, security, lighting, and other services. The existing property management system was fragmented, with billing and income gathering outsourced to various property agents using disparate systems. This led to duplication of effort, delays in receiving accurate information, and a lack of visibility and control over managing agents' activities, particularly in service charge expenditure, billings, and collections. The situation resulted in service charge cash flow issues and the need for landlord floats at short notice. Hammerson's strategy shifted to owning and managing retail properties long-term, necessitating a closer relationship with retailers to meet changing consumer demands and provide compelling shopping experiences.

The Solution

Hammerson decided to reimplement the Horizon property management system to address its challenges and improve operational efficiency. The project, which took two years, involved collaboration between Hammerson, Qube Global Software, managing agents Workman and Jones Lang LaSalle, and Remit Consulting as project coordinators. The reimplementation included several phases: design, build, go-live, and further enhancements. During the design phase, workshops were held to identify business needs and develop a solution using best practice models. The build phase involved complex data migration from the original Horizon database and managing agents' systems, ensuring data security and extensive testing. Training was provided to around 350 people across Hammerson and its agents' businesses. The go-live phase was carefully phased to minimize disruption, with properties managed by Workman going live first, followed by those managed by JLL. Further enhancements included the implementation of Purchase to Pay and Central Receipting of Payments functionalities, which brought additional efficiencies. The reimplementation resulted in Horizon being used by every part of the Hammerson business, producing over 300 different reports and acting as both a property management and financial accounting system.

Operational Impact

Hammerson now has clear visibility and control over its service charges, reducing risk and demonstrating better corporate governance.
The reimplementation of Horizon has significantly improved operational efficiency, with tasks like running aged debtor reports and month-end reporting now completed much faster.
Horizon continues to serve as Hammerson's property database, providing real-time profiles of properties and aiding asset managers in decision-making.
The managing agents have welcomed the changes, with the reporting suite being well-received and considered better than previous systems.
Hammerson has taken control of its data, reducing reliance on third parties and ensuring all information is available in one system.

Quantitative Benefit

Hammerson's UK and French portfolio is valued at £5.7 billion.
The reimplementation project involved training around 350 people across Hammerson and its agents' businesses.
Horizon now produces over 300 different reports for Hammerson.