Retail: Recent Matters

• Acting for a national garden centre chain on corporate acquisitions and general commercial advice.
• Advising the Administrator of Woolworths plc on disposals from its large retail property portfolio.
• Acting for a large national retailer on a number of planning and compulsory purchase issues in connection with major redevelopments in South East England involving mixed-use schemes with retail, leisure and residential elements.
• Acting for a major menswear designer and retailer on a public-to-private transaction.
• Acting for a mobile telephone retailer in defending a High Court trade mark action in which a settlement was successfully negotiated.
• Acting for an international fashion brand management group in connection with the establishment of and investment in a joint venture company to design, produce and distribute a range of DKNY menswear.
• Advising several national retailers on redundancies spread over a number of geographical sites necessitated by the worsening economic situation.
• Acting for a national retail landlord in various disputes with administrators pertaining to premises occupied by third parties.
• Acting for an international dancewear retailer on the termination on performance grounds of a European sales manager based in France.
• Acting for a major UK retailer on TUPE and indemnity issues in connection with the sale of a group of retail shops to another major retailer.
• Acting for a major retailer in the refinancing of its extensive property portfolio to a value of £400m.
• Acting for a national retailer in a number of property litigation matters, including an action brought by an owner contesting construction of a mezzanine floor which provided several thousand feet of additional retail space.
• Advising a High Street retailer in relation to issues relating to the protection of its trade marks, including disputes in the Trade Marks Registry.