Page 137 - MS Year in Review 2020

negotiations. John was a bit impulsive, Frank a natural diplomat. But it’s my opinion

that one without the other wouldn’t have had the same success.” 120

In 1960, Frank had a chance to make his own trip to the United States to study how

shopping centers and motels were run in California. Over the years, Frank and John
went to the United States periodically, often to attend meetings of the International

Council of Shopping Centers, and frequently came home with new ideas.

As the business continued to expand, the partners’ roles evolved. Frank took
responsibility for management and administration. John oversaw leasing, marketing
and promotion. John loved to spend his time at the shopping centers. He had an

instinctive ability to judge the success of individual shops and he enjoyed
exchanging ideas with local center management about ways to draw more
traffic. Frank valued detailed financial planning and budgeting. “Frank was not given

to rash decisions and his orderly method combined well with John’s appetite for
expansion and growth.” 121

An example of the detailed, hands-on approach to running the business was the
way the two partners would spend Saturday mornings. They would drive to one or

more of Westfield’s shopping centers to assess crowds (based on cars parked) and
mingle with shoppers to hear their opinions.

Growth and Expansion: 1961-71

Throughout the 1960’s, Westfield expanded into other parts of Australia. Besides
opening new centers, Westfield invested in redeveloping existing centers where

there was an opportunity to enhance revenues and improve profitability. The pace
of business growth and the intense involvement of the top executives was
remarkable. “From the mid-1960s to the mid-1970s, the company was opening a

shopping center a year. To keep up with the exponential increase in work, Frank

120 Tom North of retailer G.J. Coles, quoted in Jill Margo, Frank Lowy: Pushing the Limits, Harper
Collins 2000, p. 87.
121 Margo, p. 91

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