Exclusive: Westfield Stratford mall owner not against West Ham Olympic Stadium move

By David Owen in Johannesburg

June 15 – Frank Lowy (pictured left) would have no problem with West Ham United setting up shop in the Olympic stadium – provided supporters do not invade parking spaces intended for shoppers at the new Westfield Stratford mall.

Speaking exclusively to insideworldfootball in South Africa, where he was attending the start of the 2010 World Cup as well as promoting Australia’s bid for the 2022 competition, Lowy, co-founder of Westfield and chairman of Football Federation Australia (FFA), emphasised that the decision on any future Olympic stadium tenant was nothing to do with him and that he was “not for or against” West Ham.

But he went on: “Hypothetically, there needs to be enough parking facilities so they don’t monopolise the Saturday afternoon.

“If you have 2,000 cars or 4,000 cars and they want to use it all that afternoon, well that wouldn’t be a good thing.

“So they need to provide for themselves the parking and not try to monopolise the shoppers’ parking.

“Then I think it’s a good thing.”

Asked whether the demographic profile of the typical West Ham fan squared with the type of clientele retailers would want to attract to the mall, Lowy replied: “People with money in their pocket, that’s what matters.

“Or people with a credit card in their pocket.

“They can spend.

“Everybody can afford most things these days.”

Lowy also confirmed that Westfield Stratford would open in the third quarter of 2011, in good time for the countdown to the London 2012 Olympic Games.

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