Property investment and development for retail businesses 

We advise on all aspects of commercial property investment and development, handling legal requirements from start to finish for any project. While we work across various sectors, we’ve always had a real affinity with the retail sector, having worked closely with such businesses for many years.

Our dedicated team of lawyers specialise in advising our retail clients in all aspects of acquiring, managing and disposing of property. We work closely with our clients to ensure that acquisition deadlines are met, meaning properties are handed over for fitting-out to enable store openings to take place in line with target dates. We are familiar with handling large numbers of store acquisitions and the need to deliver consistency in both the form of documentation and the efficiency of our advice. 

Having property specialists in construction, planning and litigation as well means that we’re able to support our clients throughout the entire project. In particular, our planning and litigation specialists are able to deal with all aspects of property management including service of Landlord and Tenant Act notices and issuing lease renewal proceedings. We have considerable experience in handling dilapidations claims ensuring that our clients are able to minimise potential liabilities throughout their leasehold portfolios.

Experience

• JD Sports – Advising on new store and facility acquisitions nationwide.
• Aurum Group (trading as Watches of Switzerland, Mappin & Webb and Goldsmiths Jewellers) – Providing estate management advice including new store openings, lease renewals and landlord and tenant notices.
• Major national retail chain – Providing estate management advice across its retail portfolio including completing new lettings in the Westfield Stratford, London and also Bluewater Shopping Centres.
• Wiggle Limited – Advising in relation to a lease of the 323,000 sq. ft. Citadel Logistics Centre in Wolverhampton which involved a significant cross-disciplinary team of real estate, construction, planning and tax advisers.
• Lidl – Providing store acquisition advice across the UK, as well as the associated planning and construction advice.
• The Co-operative Group – Advising on estate management and store development across the UK, including defensive planning applications and judicial review applications.
• The Range – Advising on the acquisition, development and occupation of its 1.2m sq. ft. UK distribution headquarters at Avonmouth.
• Bakkavor Foods Limited – Providing real estate management advice, including acquisitions and disposals, landlord and tenant matters, and all related real estate issues.
• Handmade Burger Co. – Providing acquisitions, re-gears, property litigation and property management advice since 2015. Many deals have been conditional on development and planning conditions, which required construction, tax and planning advice throughout.
• National jewellery retailer – Advising in connection with the refurbishment and pre-letting from the Crown Estate of circa 16,000 sq. ft. of retail space on Regent Street in London’s West End. The letting included the negotiation of a new 15-year lease of the property following the completion of refurbishment works.
• Poundland – Advising on minor disputes relating to defects in shop-fitting works.
• Store Twenty One – Providing dispute resolution advice relating to defects in shop-fitting works.
• Ikea – Providing dispute resolution advice relating to cracking in a concrete floor at one of their new store.