Mer, a leading European electric vehicle (EV) charging company, has extended its partnership with Federated Hermes Ltd. to bring rapid charging to the Maybird Shopping Park in Stratford-Upon-Avon.

As driver demand increases for destinations that offer more than the charging infrastructure alone, the new charge points at Maybird are expected to attract EV drivers, leading to an increase footfall for shops, restaurants and other facilities on the site.

The Maybird Shopping Park is home to retailers including Argos, Asda, Boots, and TKMaxx, alongside cafes, food outlets, and fitness facilities. Drivers will soon be able to charge at one of Mer's five ultra-rapid charge points whilst they enjoy the wide range of outlets on offer. Each charge point can charge two vehicles at one time, and Mer's agreements with roaming partners including Octopus Electroverse, Paua and Zap-Pay ensure a customer-centric charging solution for EV drivers.

Alex Hinchcliffe, Interim Managing Director at Mer UK said,

"We have seen how popular EV charging at our other retail hubs across the UK has been amongst EV drivers. Federated Hermes's decision to install EV charging at another one of their retail destinations is testament to the benefits it offers both drivers and asset managers. The new charge points meet driver demand for a destination to do more than simply sit in a car waiting for it to charge. This customer demand is an opportunity for all commercial landlords to enhance towns and cities, attract and retain retailers, provide accessible public charging facilities and meet government targets."

This project is part of an ongoing collaboration between Mer and Federated Hermes. Mer has installed charging infrastructure across the global investment manager's retail park portfolio since 2021. Federated Hermes selected Mer as its EV charging partner for its experience in helping developers and landlords put their premises on the map with reliable charging infrastructure. Mer's full-turnkey solution offering means everything is taken care of – from grid connection, to installation, to charger management – making the process of bringing charging to the site as simple and hassle-free as possible.

Ian Cody, Director – Investment Management, Real Estate at Federated Hermes Ltd., said,

"Reliable and accessible public EV charging infrastructure is in high demand, and we looked for an operator with the expertise to install charge points as part of the ongoing ESG implementation strategy across our Real Estate portfolio. It is a pleasure to continue our work with Mer as we bring charging infrastructure to more sites across our retail park investments, creating relevant and attractive destinations for visitors."

Find out more about Mer's public charging network here.