Your challenges
Businesses involved in the food industry from “plough to plate” face a range of challenges that are specific to the industry. These include the need to work with volatile commodity prices and volatile exchange rates, the need to work with “demanding” customers particularly the retail multiples and major processors who in turn see themselves driven by competitive pressures and customer demands, regulatory regimes on gang labour and employment, health and safety and food safety issues, increasingly onerous and far reaching compliance regimes covering ethical, carbon reduction and food miles objectives among others and, of course, in the background the potential for huge reputational and business risk arising from “food scares” and product recalls.
Our food and drink team members are familiar with these issues and can help you to keep track of the legal and regulatory requirements and provide robust and practical advice to guide you when you need it.
Achieving your ambitions
Our food industry team is cross disciplinary and can help you to achieve your ambitions whether through mergers or acquisitions, joint venture arrangements, robust supply structures or measures to limit trading risks in the current difficult climate. The team’s industry experience means that team members will have an appreciation of the commercial imperatives which apply in the industry and will tailor advice to provide practical and workable solutions.
The strength you need
The team is lead by Nick Fischl and Steve Allen and includes corporate finance, employment, regulatory, dispute resolution and property lawyers all of whom are heavily involved in advising food industry clients ranging from producers, through packers and processors to brewers and supply chain logistics companies.
Recent experience includes:
- Advising clients in the fresh produce sector on the acquisition of financially overstretched competitors including “pre- pack” administration deals
- Advising on joint ventures designed to consolidate supply of certain produce categories to key customers
- Advising on cost reduction programmes and in particular on related employment issues
- Advising on security of payment issues arising from the withdrawal of credit insurance and the structuring of supply arrangements to reduce non-payment risks against that background
- Advising on competition issues arising from trading practices and pricing policies,
- Advising on and assisting with the resolution of disputes arising from contractual default including enforcement of title reservation and security rights.
Lawyers you can trust
Many of the lawyers in the team are highly rated by legal directories such as Legal 500 and Chambers UK. The team includes individuals described as “diligent, friendly and professional”.