Retail - expansion structures for retailers - choosing the channels wisely

As retailers face ever increasing challenges, more than ever choosing and implementing effectively the right expansion strategies for your business is crucial. We work closely with you to understand the key drivers and risks for your individual businesses, helping you to develop the most commercially appropriate routes to market.

Our service

As one of Europe's leading retail expansion practices, we have a clear understanding of how the alternative structures available and multi-channel routes to market can be used for the effective growth of retail businesses. We are consistently rated as leaders for franchising, licensing and distribution work and specialise in counselling our clients on the implications of the different structures available. Whether considering franchising, licensing, joint venture, distribution, agency or hybrid structures, our retail sector experience and consultative approach strategically guides you to the most appropriate structure to adopt. This has helped facilitate for a number of retailers their development from a domestic business into a successful international organisation.

Understanding your retail business is central to our work ethos. As well as expertise in their areas of law, our lawyers understand and have a commercial knowledge of retail businesses.

Our Franchising, Licensing and Distribution Group comprises 25 full-time specialists who are supported by colleagues in areas such as trade marks and design and brand protection, e-commerce, consumer and marketing regulation, privacy and data security, real estate, tax, anti-trust, corporate, employment and pensions.

Europe is our domestic market and therefore in addition to our European offices, we are founders of two European networks of specialist franchise lawyers providing you with access to dedicated franchise expertise across all 27 EU Member States.

Our lawyers are rated among the very best in the world. Through our expertise and network of international specialists this enables us to provide a secure and highly knowledgeable platform for our retail clients' expansion into all other parts of the world, from the Middle East, India and China, to South America, the US and the Pacific Rim.

Expertise

• advising on alternative routes to market and multi-channel structures available
• advising on a concept's suitability for the different structures available
• strategic advice and risk assessment of expansion in the UK and international territories
• advising on international e-commerce strategy
• franchise, supply, distribution, licensing, and agency documentation review and critique
• drafting and negotiating pilot, unit, master, regional and developer franchise agreements
• drafting and negotiating manufacturing and supply, agency, distribution and licensing agreements
• structuring and drafting operating manuals
• UK and international roll out programmes
• identifying and introducing potential international developers and partners
• advising on localisation of concepts
• advising on international pre-contractual disclosure and registration requirements
• drafting non-disclosure, confidentiality, commitment and guarantee agreements
• exit strategies - franchise/network flotations, franchise network acquisitions and sales, MBOs and MBIs
  
  

Our franchise, distribution and licensing experience and expertise includes advising businesses ranging from individual entrepreneurs and start ups to Fortune 500 companies across the full spectrum of industry sectors including retail, food and beverage and hospitality services. This breadth of experience is of immense value to our retail clients.