the assets I have spent my life building I could not imagine a better home for them than in this new company,” Sir Frank Lowy AC, chairman of the Westfield board of directors. “Today is the second most important day in Westfield history – the most important day was September 1960 when Westfield was born.” The takeover deal, which was struck after six weeks of negotiations, will create a company with assets worth 61 billion euros ($A95 billion), with 104 shopping centres in 13 countries, all of which will carry the Westfield branding. Following the transaction, Unibail-Rodamco will maintain its two-tier board structure which consists of a supervisory board, chaired by Colin Dyer and two Westfield board members, including Peter Lowy. The management board of Unibail-Rodamco will consist of Christophe Cuvillier, group chief executive officer, and Jaap Tonckens, group chief financial officer. Frank Lowy will retire as chairman of Westfield, but will be chair of a newly created advisory board for Unibail-Rodamco, which will provide the group with strategic advice. Westfield was established in Sydney’s west and listed in 1960, before growing rapidly under the control of Frank Lowy, who was chief executive for 50 years before handing over to his sons Steven and Peter in 2011. The Lowy family will vote in favour of the deal, and the Westfield board has recommended other shareholders do the same when a meeting is held in the first half of 2018. The deal values the Lowy family’s stake in Westfield at just over $A3 billion. Scentre is not included in the deal with Unibail-Rodamco. Peter Lowy will be one of two Westfield board members appointed to the supervisory board of Unibail-Rodamco, while Steven Lowy will be chairman of a retail technology company that is being spun out of Westfield. The family said they will maintain a substantial investment in Unibail-Rodamco. Westfield will be delisted from the Australian share market, and Unibail-Rodamco will have a secondary listing in Australia, alongside its stapled securities listed in Amsterdam and Paris. Pending regulatory and shareholder approval, the takeover could be completed by mid-2018. Westfield holds 17 flagship assets across nine gateway cities representing 85 per cent of its GMV. In a joint-statement, the companies said the transaction “will create the world’s premier developer and operator of flagship shopping destinations.” Access exclusive analysis, locked news and reports with Inside Retail Weekly. Subscribe today and get our premium print publication delivered to your door every week.