Retail

“Manches is known for its extremely strong retail group.” The Legal 500

Experience

We believe in sharing our experience with our clients, listening to their concerns, arranging seminars and forums on current issues and encouraging them to work with us to reduce the risks inherent in any commercial and, in particular, retail business.

Our retail clients include:

All Saints	Liberty	MWB
David Linley	Malthurst	Munroe K
Harrods	Moss Bros	ROM Capital
Heal's	Oporto	Vale Retail
Kew	Pizza Hut	WH Smith
Kookai	Peter Werth	Jonathan Kelsey
Jimmy Choo	IKEA	Strutt Couture
Oakley	Chloé

Branding/IP

• We acted Jimmy Choo in a trade mark dispute with a global FMCG company who were using their trade mark without authorisation.
• We advised IKEA in relation to an interim injunction application for trade mark and copyright infringement against an online retailer when it used IKEA’s images and branding without consent, along with obtaining transfer of a domain name
• We worked with Oakley in relation to use of its logos without consent
• We manage Terra Plana's international trade mark portfolio.
• Advising Kookai in relation to various design right infringements of its garments by several competitors and a foreign manufacturer.
• Working with All Saints in relation to the protection of its brand worldwide, including drafting and negotiating franchise agreements, co-existence agreements and other licenses and dealing with trade mark oppositions and trading standards issues.
• Advising Liberty in relation to its concession arrangements, reputation issues and brand protection.
• Worked with Oakley in relation to unauthorised use of their logos on a website, including having the website taken down permanently.

Commercial Contracts

• Advising Oporto in relation to the launch of their restaurant business into the UK from Australia including drafting and negotiating their franchise arrangements, supply agreements and terms and conditions.
• Advising British American Tobacco  on the advertising and promotion of products at point of sale.

Corporate

• We worked with Kevin Stanford on his acquisition of All Saints Retail Limited, a subsequent equity round which brought in Baugur and the arrangement of a revolving credit facility from Landsbanki Commercial Finance.
• We were instructed by WHSmith on its acquisitions of:

1. UNS Group, which traded as United News in 72 retail outlets and 8 Café Nuovo coffee shops in 62 hospitals throughout the UK, for £19 million;
2. the World of News/Taste of Ulster and BookBound Concessions (CTN) at 10 UK airports and Jersey Airport.

• Guiding the CEO on his 3i backed purchase of Agent Provocateur.

Human Resources

• Advising a furniture business on a redundancy programme.
• Advising on the reorganisation of terms and conditions throughout the distribution centres of a major high street chain.
• Advising on the termination and severance arrangements for the Managing Director of a chain of non-high street stores.
• Successfully defending a discrimination claim related to sex, sexual orientation and part-time status brought against a large clothing retailer.
• Advising on the terms and conditions relating to employees on the transfer of a shopping centre, including advice on potential liabilities under employee contracts and warranties and indemnities in the transfer agreement.

Online

• Advising David Linley in relation to the launch of its website which included the scoping, development and hosting arrangements.
• Providing immediate advice to a major retailer on its position when a website service, run on its behalf, failed.
• Advising Rapidata Services Ltd in relation to the supply of technology allowing charity websites to provide individual promotion pages and dealing with payment on-line.

Real Estate

• Site acquisitions and letting of Port Solent Retail Park, Portsmouth, for Munroe K.
• Acquisition of Ankerside shopping centre for Vale Retail followed by a regear of the headlease terms and the letting of the car park to specialist operator.
• Property aspects of acquisition of the UNS Group for WH Smith.
• Acquisition of the new Liberty of London store on Sloane Street.
• Acting for Pizza Hut in relation to a dispute regarding ongoing tenant liability and a claim that a rent review was conducted fraudulently.
• Advising WH Smith in relation to their ongoing occupation at various locations at Network Rail stations where there are redevelopment proposals.