Boasting deep regulatory expertise in the retail and consumer space, RPC offers full service capabilities to clients across the fashion and luxury fashion, food and drink, consumer technology, and retail spaces. Apart from the practice’s strong ties to industry regulators, the team is well-versed in commercial and M&A, IP, competition, tax, and disputes matters for clients in the retail and consumer arena. The practice’s heads include corporate lead and transactional specialist, Karen Hendy, the ‘outstanding’ regulatory, supply chain, and disputes expert Ciara Cullen, and Jeremy Drew, the firm’s commercial group head and IP specialist. Tom Purton, the practice head of commercial contracts, bolsters the team’s commercial offerings. Harpreet Kaur is an ’associate to watch’ with experience in IP and commercial matters, particularly in the food and drink space.
Legal 500 Editorial commentary
Testimonials
Collated independently by Legal 500 research team.
‘RPC's expertise and insight in relation to equity, diversity and inclusion has been invaluable to the retail industry over the last year.'
- 'An excellent team. Deep sector expertise, smart thinking, quick to grasp instructions. What sets them apart from the rest is how "human" they are - they're a delight to work with, they understand the commercial reality behind what they're working on - it's a true partnership.’
- 'Ciara Cullen is a superstar. Whip smart, pragmatic and quick thinking - a real pleasure to work with. he will fight your corner and is very tough, but knows when to be sensible and how to advise you on a realistic outcome.'
‘RPC cares deeply about its clients and focuses on building long-lasting relationships in order to understand its business and how to provide practical and useable legal advice. They have a wide and complimentary breadth of expertise with a consistently high calibre across subject matters enabling it to build multidimensional relationships with its clients.'
- 'The team is composed of seasoned legal professionals with extensive experience advising major retail supply chains, logistics providers and supply chain operations, and bring a practical understanding of commercial realities and evolving market dynamics, enabling them to deliver contracts that are not only legally robust but also commercially viable and aligned with our business goals.'
‘Jeremy stands out for his leadership of the commercial team's focus, and Ciara for her understanding of IP law and linking of the topic to sustainability and greenwashing.’
‘RPC take a genuine interest in their clients, build a great rapport and are responsive and agile. They take the time to understand the issues and the strategic requirements of their client's business and provide pragmatic, commercial and tailored advice that is aligned with those objectives.’
- Kelly Thomson is a standout partner - her speed of execution and the clarity of her advice were instrumental in helping us achieve a successful resolution. She combines urgency with precision and care, which immediately built trust and gave us confidence in her recommendations.'
- 'A really impressive team - proactive, responsive and helpful. At times, the team feels like an extension of our in-house team, which really takes the pressure off. They are commercial and solution-oriented and very efficient in terms of approach.'
- 'The team we have dealt with are professional and always return concise, accurate information.'
Key clients
- Stella McCartney
- AB InBev (owners of Budweiser / Corona / Stella Artois)
- PizzaExpress
- Frasers Group (House of Fraser, Sports Direct, Flannels, Sofa, Studio)
- Coca-Cola Europacific Partners
- Flying Tiger Copenhagen
- Reformation
- Currys
- Waterstones & Foyles
- Checkatrade
- New Look
- Tropic Skincare
- Fever-Tree PLC
- Reckitt (Finish, Vanish, Dettol, Nurofen and more)
- Missguided
- Deposit Return Scheme – clients include:|Britvic Plc, Red Bull Company Limited, A.G. Barr P.L.C|Lucozade Ribena Suntory Limited, Highland Spring Group,|Danone UK & Ireland, Nestlé Waters, Heineken UK Limited|Coca-Cola Europacific Partners, Molson Coors Brewing Company Limited, Carlsberg Marston’s Brewing Company Limited, AB InBev UK Limited, Tesco Plc, Sainsbury’s Supermarkets Ltd and its Affiliates, Aldi Stores Limited|Morrisons, Co-operative Group Limited and Marks & Spencer Group Plc and 4 trade associations.
- Saputo Dairy (brands include Cathedral City, Clover, Frylight, Country Life, Utterly Butterly)
- Shiseido
- The Jamie Oliver Group
- McArthurGlen
Work highlights
Advised CÉ LA VI on the expansion of its fine dining and rooftop bar portfolio during the opening of its first UK base at prestigious new development, Paddington Square, London.
Acted for Frozen Brothers, the company behind world-famous frozen beverage brands including Tango Ice Blast, Fanta Frozen, Slushy Jack’s and Coca-Cola Frozen, setting aside a £20 million freezing order that had been obtained on an urgent, without notice basis.
Advised Frasers Group on its partnership with MAP Active, a step in the retail group’s international growth in five new markets across Southeast Asia and India.
Lawyers
Leading partners
The strongest partners in their field, leading on market-leading deals and endorsed by peers and clients alike.
Leading associates
Leading associates with regular involvement in their team's key work, and recognition from peers or clients as being ones to watch.
Harpreet Kaur
Practice head
Ciara Cullen; Jeremy Drew; Karen Hendy
Other key lawyers
Kelly Thomson; Tom McQuail; Tom Purton; Harpreet Kaur