Industry focus: Retail in Spain

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.

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.

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’.

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.

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.