Starters An introduction Roythornes is one of the UK’s leading law firms. We advise businesses in the food sector.
Our heritage Roythornes has been in the food industry for over 75 years. With an unrivalled expertise in the food chain we now advise some of the largest food businesses in the UK.
Our present Some of our clients are household names. Others are suppliers and manufacturers with products on the shelves of almost every multiple food retailer in the country. We also work for those who provide the logistics to ensure that the right goods are on the right shelves at the right time.
Our advantage The advantage of using Roythornes is the real depth of specialist knowledge we blend together to get the job done. You won’t find a litigator dabbling in your commercial work - you’ll find an experienced team of specialists on call to meet your requirements.
Mains Our advice We are known for our pragmatic approach to legal advice. Unlike some firms who tell you what you cannot do, we will tell you how you can achieve your objectives.
Contracts We have extensive experience of contract drafting and review. Whatever venture you are entering in to, it’s important to get the paperwork right before you sign. We make sure our clients are protected and in the best possible position.
Debt management With the best will in the world we all have some customers who are more reluctant to pay than others - the bad apples. Our debt recovery team have a great track record working for food and wholesale businesses to help recover their debts at a very competitive price.
People management The ingredients to a good business are its people and employing people brings its own challenges and opportunities. From fixed price employment law packages to ad hoc advice, we help businesses manage their workforce effectively.
Directors agreements The food sector is a ‘small world’ and senior management regularly move within the industry. It is important that when you recruit into your senior team you provide protection for your business. We provide our clients with service agreements that suit their needs and which give Directors an incentive to perform.
Mains International work Food is a global business and our teams regularly help clients with cross border issues ranging from distribution and licensing agreements to disputes and debt recovery. Our network of contacts across the world helps us to provide a seamless service.
Corporate transactions The sector is typified by large scale purchases, mergers and disposal. Our team are able to act fast and with great attention to detail to ensure deals are completed not only to tight timescales, but also ensuring that clients’ interests are protected.
Product recalls Product recalls can be a very stressful time and swift action is needed. Our food team can advise on both practical and commercial issues to ensure that any losses and future litigation and damage to your business is kept to the absolute minimum.
Health and Safety Health and Safety is a real issue in food production facilities and our team have extensive experience of helping clients who have suffered from accidents in their workplace. We are on call to help deal with the authorities or the media, and to guide you through any subsequent investigations.
Sides Sides Offering the complete service, it’s hard to list all of the services we offer food businesses, but here’s a selection of some of the other ways we can help. Intellectual property and recipe protection Agency and distribution agreements Confidentiality agreements Regulatory issues Product quality disputes Competition issues Business sales and acquisitions Supermarket protocols Ethical audit advice International aspects
Our specials Handling and storage In 2011 we helped our client who had won a contract to provide a complete materials handling system at a new distribution facility operated by a large online retail specialist. We represented the client in contract negotiations ensuring a smooth and satisfactory agreement for our client and their customer to take their relationship forwards.
Japanese hop dispute Working for clients in a dispute with a large Japanese brewing giant required an understanding of Japanese contract law and an analysis of whether it applied to the case. The case involved hop contracts worth millions of euros and we worked very hard to keep the company’s costs as low as possible - considerably less than those incurred by their larger opponent in this commercial litigation case.
Product licencing and distribution We were approached in 2012 to assist with a dispute involving the right to import and distribute a branded apple into the UK market. We undertook negotiations on behalf of our client with the European agency which was denying the company a license to import the apples into the UK. We were able to successfully argue that to restrict a UK license to only one company would have potentially breached EU and UK competition law. Crucially, we were able to secure a successful outcome without the need to resort to formal legal action through the courts.
Company sale - getting personal We advised on the sale of a large chilled food business. Being brought into the deal at a late stage gave us enough time to look at what the client’s finance team had set up to save capital taxes. All looked fine, but they had neglected to consider the wider picture which would have left the family selling with a very large potential Inheritance Tax bill and no assets to pay it! Some careful adjustments to the structure of the sale ensured the deal went through and that there were no nasty tax surprises in store.
Desserts Industry knowledge Our knowledge of the food chain is in depth and based on a sound understanding of the sector. Acting for clients from growers and producers to importers, processors and distributors, our ‘whole picture’ approach is what makes us the right choice.
Our trade links We are members of the Fresh Produce Consortium, The British Frozen Food Federation, the Food and Drink Forum and Select Lincolnshire. This keeps us firmly in touch with the ‘real world’ and the issues our clients face.
Our profile Our team is regularly featured in the press including The Grocer and other major trade publications . Never afraid to ‘say it how it is’, we have views on most issues and are not afraid to say so!
From the cellar 1. Peter Bennett Peter leads the Food Team and has over 35 years’ experience in the sector. He advises on a wide range of issues ranging from the strategic to the practical day to day issues we all face.His commercial skills and advice are valued by clients and professional advisers alike.
2. Tim Russ Tim specialises in agricultural and food law, private client and property disputes. Tim has handled a number of judicial reviews, especially for food businesses and farmers with the Foods Standards Agency and DEFRA as the reviewed party. He has also acted in a number of leading cases concerning the licencing and regulation of meat businesses.
3. Martin Jinks Martin’s expertise lies in contract issues with particular skills in warehousing and logistics contracts. His experience covers both transactional and non-transactional work and he advises suppliers to some of the largest retailers in the UK.
4. Edd Johnson Edd is a property specialist. He advises clients on a wide range of property issues including new build, leases, development projects and associated tax issues. He has particular skills in the renewable energy sector - an increasing focus for many of our food clients.
5. Alex Keenan Alex is a tax lawyer who specialises in advising businesses and the families who own them on the best way to structure their business and personal assets. He is particularly keen on ensuring our clients are protected in the event of key individuals no longer being able to take on their role. This publication is for guidance only and does not constitute legal advice. Roythornes Limited is a company registered in England and Wales under number 06611251. We are regulated by the Solicitors Regulation Authority. Registered office: Enterprise Way, Pinchbeck, Spalding PE11 3YR. We use the word ‘Partner’ to refer to a shareholder of the company, or an employee or consultant with equivalent standing and qualifications. June 2015.
6. Mike Matthews Solicitor Mike joined the firm in 2010 and provides valuable back up to the team to add depth to the work they undertake. His experience covers a wide range of businesses from sole traders to large commercial concerns.
Bookings We would love to talk to you about how we can help your business move forwards. To arrange a meeting (at your table or ours) please give Peter Bennett, head of our Food Team a call.
http://www.roythorne.co.uk/Food/ @Roythornes_Food
Peter Bennett | 01775 842550 peterbennett@roythornes.co.uk