Baker McKenzie regularly advises clients on e-commerce, regulatory compliance with EU legislation, and selective distribution, franchising and vertical restraints. Intellectual property specialists María Dolores Garayalde, who advises clients in the retail sector on licence agreements, technology transfer and software, and Cristina Duch, who also has a particular focus on competition and advertising matters, head the practice. The team also includes M&A specialist Luis Casals, tax planning and post-reorganisation integration expert Esteban Raventós and Raúl Rubio, who leads the firm’s IT and telecom practices and has experience in electronic signature and information security and online administration matters.
Industry focus: Retail in Spain
Bird & Bird
Bird & Bird advises retail and consumer-facing clients on all stages of the product lifecycle: design; distribution and retailing; franchising; data protection and privacy; e-commerce; supply chain logistics; advertising and marketing; and disputes. The practice also advises clients on brand and strategy, reputation management, media crises (including social media), consumer protection, product claims and data breaches. Lourdes Ayala, who has particular experience acting for automotive and fashion and luxury goods companies, heads the team with intellectual property specialist Antonio Cueto, who has significant experience in complex disputes over trade marks, designs and unfair competition.
Key clients
Aora Health, S.L.
Ben Sherman
Costa Coffee
Cynthia Rowley
Hanes Brands Inc
KFC
Lenovo
PizzaExpress (Franchises) Limited
Taco Bell
Trip Advisor
Work highlights
- Advised 3ina Cosmetics on a franchise structure for the Russian master franchisee.
- Advised Aora Health on IP and brand matters.
- Advised Regus Group on the drafting of a master franchise agreement.
Cuatrecasas
The team at Cuatrecasas acts for retail chains, fashion companies, supermarket chains, funds and private equity groups, and e-commerce companies. The practice advises on real estate, corporate M&A, financing, intellectual property and labour matters in the retail sector. Other areas of work include debt refinancing, data protection and consumer protection, land management, brand development and franchise relations. The team includes planning and public real estate specialists Esteban Flores and Yolanda Guerra, and labour and employment expert Rubén Doctor, who is experienced in collective dismissals. Flores advised Ikea on its expansion in Spain, including on contract negotiation, urban planning and the opening of its flagship store in Madrid.
Key clients
Ikea
Media Markt
H&M
Nike
Áreas
Mercadona
Aldi
Wallapop
Amazon
Alibaba
Zalando
Decathlon
Druni
Foot Locker
Giordano
Work highlights
- Advised Grandivision, through its Spanish subsidiary, on acquiring Óptica 2000 (the optical division of El Corte Inglés) and its Portuguese subsidiary.
- Advised Spain-based retailer El Corte Inglés on renewing its promissory note programme; refinancing, including the issuance of a bond; and a dispute initiated by the firm’s president against the board of directors’ decision to remove him.
- Advised on selling the production unit of the Toys “R” Us Group in Spain and Portugal, in bankruptcy proceedings, to Green Swan.
DLA Piper
Recent highlights for DLA Piper include advising Levi Strauss on the enforcement of intellectual and industrial property rights. The team also advises on consumer spending, product line expansion and regulatory issues. Diego Ramos, who is active in the commercial and intellectual property fields, heads the practice, which also includes the M&A-focused Teresa Zueco, who is experienced in private equity and in cross-border transactions with Latin American and French investors.
Key clients
Avon
Levi Strauss
Newell Rubbermaid
Kering
Mondelez
Reckitt Benckiser
Work highlights
- Advised Reckitt Benckiser on the implementation of commercial and marketing schemes following the adoption of GDPR.
Gómez-Acebo & Pombo
Gómez-Acebo & Pombo advises retail companies on real estate and urban planning, compliance and consumer protection, the digital economy and logistics matters. Key areas of work include advising clients on their business models, relationship with their suppliers, consumer protection, retail trading regulations and the digital economy. The team is currently acting for companies in the textiles, clothing and footwear sectors that have opened production facilities in Asia in matters relating to marketing, labelling and anti-counterfeiting. Intellectual property and IT expert Sofía Martínez-Almeida, who has extensive experience in the fashion sector, heads the team and is recommended as a ‘standout partner’.
Key clients
Carrefour
Converse, Inc.
Diageo
Giorgio Armani S.P.A.
Lacoste
Media Markt
Metro/Makro AG
Microsoft Corporation
Nike Inc.
Sanrio
Toys R Us Iberia, S.A.U.
Mercadona, S.A.
Hermes
G-Star
Work highlights
- Advised Mercadona, a supermarket and online shopping company, on the implementation of a criminal compliance programme.
- Advised Armani Group on its day-to-day activity, including on data protection, lease agreements and brand enforcement matters.
- Advised Casual Brands Group on the negotiation of a master franchise agreement with Yum! Brands in the food sector.
Garrigues
Garrigues’s multi-disciplinary practice advises on a range of matters in the retail sector, encompassing M&A transactions, commercial agreements, logistics, intellectual property, compliance, real estate, taxation, and claims and litigation. The team also handles matters relating to distribution, franchising, warehousing agreements, promotional campaigns, consumer rights, environmental matters and the implementation of e-commerce platforms. Corporate and M&A partners Mónica Martín de Vidales and Álvaro López-Jorrín head the team, which also includes corporate governance and outsourcing specialist Sergio González Galán and Rocío Belda de Mergelina, who focuses on distribution and franchise networks. Belda de Mergelina recently advised Younique, an American cosmetics company, on its launch in the Spanish market.
Key clients
Advent
Younique
Samsung
Carrefour
Estée Lauder
Pernod Ricard
Nuevas Actividades Urbanas
Amplifon, SpA
Ford
BMW
Alsea
Findus España
Work highlights
- Advised the Estée Lauder Group on a selective distribution system.
- Advised cosmetics company Younique on its launch in the Spanish market.
- Advised Samsung on day-to-day business matters including distribution agreements, promotions and product warranties.
Uría Menéndez
The retail team at Uría Menéndez includes partners from the firm’s corporate, intellectual property, competition, litigation and regulatory groups. The practice is led by EU law and competition specialist Patricia Vidal; Ramiro Rivera, who is head of the firm’s securitisation working group; and Borja Sainz de Aja, who focuses on intellectual property and unfair competition. Rivera recently advised Distribuidora Internacional de Alimentación on a proposed €600m share capital increase. Other highlights include representing Philip Morris Spain before the CNMC, the Spanish competition regulator.
Work highlights
- Advised KKR in connection with the tender offer launched over all the outstanding shares of Telepizza Group.
- Advised Grupo Finaccess on the acquisition by one of its subsidiaries of shares in restaurant operator AmRest.
- Advised Telepizza Group on the strategic deal and master franchise agreement between Telepizza Group and Pizza Hut International.