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Thinking - Blog

What if the CEO asks me about…. whether employees need to be vaccinated before coming back to our premises

Published on 25 Feb 2021. By Patrick Brodie, Partner and Jon Bartley, Partner

With Monday's announcement from Boris Johnson, and the vaccination programme gathering speed, you will, hopefully, soon be re-opening your stores and offices, bringing more of your colleagues back to work.

Thinking - Publication

Retail Compass Spring edition 2021

Published on 12 Feb 2021.

Welcome to the Spring edition of Retail Compass. We present our guide to the key upcoming legal and policy changes affecting Retail and our thoughts on the need-to-know issues - as retailers look forward to a post-pandemic landscape.

Thinking - Blog

Dry January? No/lo drinks to start 2021

Published on 26 Jan 2021. By Ciara Cullen, Partner and Elizabeth Zang, Associate

The popularity of no/lo drinks has skyrocketed with no/lo drinks toppling craft beer as the UK's top tipple in 2020 (the SIBA British Craft Beer Report 2020).

Thinking - Blog

What if the CEO asks me about... protecting our supply chain?

Published on 13 Jan 2021.

The interlinked and complex nature of modern global supply chains make them vulnerable to a range of risks, including multiple potential points of failure and slimmer margins of error to account for delays or disruptions. The COVID-19 pandemic, coupled with Brexit, have created a once-in-a-generation test of supply chain planning, agility and flexibility for retailers and their suppliers. While these circumstances may lead to a revisiting of supply chain strategy and optimisation in the long term, short-term actions will need to be taken to meet the immediate challenge.

Thinking - Blog

Buy Now Pay…after Christmas? The ASA's new guidance on BNPL advertising

Published on 22 Dec 2020.

The ASA has published detailed guidance to retailers when advertising delayed payment services (Guidance), often called Buy Now Pay Later products (BNPL).

Thinking - Publication

What if the CEO asks me about… the latest online customer solutions?

Published on 01 Dec 2020. By Paul Joukador, Partner

Nine months of extreme disruption has accelerated retail brands' need to maximise their online shopping experience. With Covid-19 restrictions here to stay for the foreseeable future, and the future purpose of the physical store being re-examined, there is no doubt that online will continue to be a key consumer interface.

Thinking - Publication

Data and the trust barometer – the new frontline of retail

Published on 30 Nov 2020. By Oliver Bray, Senior Partner and Karen Hendy, Partner, Head of Corporate

The inventor of the world wide web has a startup. Sir Tim Berners Lee's company Inrupt has launched Solid, a platform for giving consumers control over their data. Solid keeps user data in a secure locker, or pod, and access can be granted or revoked as needed.

Thinking - Blog

Tiers for [GDPR] fears

Published on 26 Nov 2020. By Jon Bartley, Partner and Harvey Briggs, Associate

Beware collecting employee data amid lockdowns and changing working patterns

Thinking - Blog

The big transition back to work: how to relieve your stress and anxiety with this simple strategy for self-care with Eric Ho, Bumblebee Wellbeing

Published on 02 Sep 2020.

Negative feelings can have powerful negative consequences on you and your team’s mental and physical health. I’ve observed first-hand how the individuals and teams I work with are coping with lockdown. As the restrictions on physical distancing relax, so their negative feelings of dislocation, uncertainty, and fear have increased. And they seem to be intensifying as many individuals are now factoring in a return to their offices or work premises.

Thinking - Blog

Consumer confidence: contact, controls and connections

Published on 28 Aug 2020.

We asked Laura Saunter from trend forecasting giant WGSN (by Ascential) to give her insights on what’s next for consumer behaviour in light of Covid-19. WGSN is the world’s leading consumer and design trend authority, serving the fashion and creative industries with market leading products.

Thinking - Blog

The clock is ticking very loudly

Published on 27 Aug 2020.

Brexit may have taken a backseat over the last few months whilst governments and businesses have responded to the impact of Covid-19, but as the final deadline to request an extension to the transition deadline has now passed, Brexit is back fighting for top spot on the agenda. We get an insight from the British Retail Consortium (BRC) on key issues for the retail sector.

Thinking - Blog

Roundup of ASA guidance on advertising responsibly in relation to COVID-19

Published on 31 Jul 2020.

Retailers seeking to reference the Covid-19 pandemic in their advertising should be aware of the Advertising Standards Authority’s (ASA) recent guidance and robust enforcement activity in this area.

Thinking - Blog

Return of the MAC (clauses) and practical steps for the retail world

Published on 31 Jul 2020.

The Covid-19 crisis is putting Material Adverse Change (or material adverse effect) (MAC) clauses back in the spotlight, none more so than in the world of retail.

Thinking - Blog

Force majeure in a retail context in light of COVID-19

Published on 31 Jul 2020.

In general commercial contracts, force majeure clauses can often be overlooked as standard ‘boilerplate’ with little negotiation between the parties. Covid-19 and the disruption caused to businesses has highlighted how important these clauses can be for all types of commercial agreements and we anticipate that there will be significant focus on force majeure wording going forwards.

Thinking - Blog

Consumers return to retail. The retail story in China…where are things now?

Published on 31 Jul 2020.

Globally, the retail sector has been heavily impacted by Covid-19. As the epicentre for the outbreak of the virus in January 2020. China is now one of the first economies showing signs of recovery, and retailers are looking to understand the pattern there, in order to help predict how retail will recover (and how long it will take to do so) following enforced store closures and restrictions on people’s daily lives.

Thinking - Blog

Livestream shopping: making platform partnerships a success

Published on 31 Jul 2020.

Livestream shopping is a live shopping event – think QVC - hosted by a brand on its own, or a third party website/mobile app. Usually, a celebrity, social media influencer or brand worker demonstrates a product and answers questions from a digital audience in real-time. Viewers are able to immediately purchase the item from an embedded link online. Just like presenters on QVC, livestreaming hosts sell a wide range of products, from apparel and cosmetics to electronics and even cars. In China, live streaming is a wildly popular way to shop, with the market worth an estimated US$63bn to its economy in 2019. (but the technology is starting to catch on in the US and UK too). The first major livestream shopping player emerged in China in 2016 when Alibaba first launched Taobao Live. Since then, platforms like Tmall, Douyin or Xiaohongshu have become key Chinese e-commerce sites and saw a big spike in demand during lockdown as shoppers were forced to shop from home

Thinking - Blog

Retail returns in light of COVID-19

Published on 31 Jul 2020.

Many retail businesses have reopened/are preparing to reopen as the Covid-19 lockdown eases. Whilst retailers hope that sales will surge as consumers rush to the shops that they have been unable to visit since March, some fear that a large percentage of transactions will be returns of goods purchased pre-lockdown.

Thinking - Blog

Stores in focus; reopenings, safety and single use (plastic) setback

Published on 31 Jul 2020.

With stores reopened, retailers face an unprecedented operational challenge in delivering the retail experience.

Thinking - Blog

Furlough fraud and Government clawback: managing the risk

Published on 31 Jul 2020.

HMRC has the right to go back up to five years when considering businesses’ (including retailers’) records relating to the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme (the “furlough scheme”) and will be able to clawback funds which have been claimed in error, or fraudulently, under new powers contained in the Finance Bill 2020, which is expected to become law in the latter half of 2020.

Thinking - Blog

Furlough forecast: What kind of employment law claims are on the horizon?

Published on 31 Jul 2020.

As retail workforces continue to be re-organised, what kind of employment claims could be brought by employees in the coming months, in light of the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme (or furlough scheme) and what can you do in anticipation?

Thinking - Blog

Temporary COVID-19 measures in respect of AGMs and other general meetings

Published on 31 Jul 2020.

The Corporate Insolvency and Governance Act 2020 (CIGA), which came into force on 26 June 2020, provides temporary measures which enable companies to comply with their legal requirements on holding annual general meetings (AGMs) and other meetings whilst still respecting social distancing legislation and guidance.

Thinking - Blog

Corporate Insolvency and Governance Act – Supplier Terms

Published on 31 Jul 2020.

On 26 June 2020 the Corporate Insolvency and Governance Act (CIGA) came into force. The CIGA has made both permanent and short-term changes to the insolvency regime in response to the coronavirus pandemic and its consequences.

Thinking - Blog

UK Government introduces “suspension” of wrongful trading provisions

Published on 31 Jul 2020.

In March 2020, Business Secretary Alok Sharma announced that provisions on wrongful trading would be suspended. The move came as part of a wider package of measures that sought to provide assistance to businesses – and their beleaguered boards – experiencing financial distress due to Covid-19. Now set out in the Corporate Insolvency and Governance Act 2020 (CIGA), which was passed on 26 June 2020, the provisions adapt the wrongful trading regime making directors’ liability for the “relevant period” unlikely.

Thinking - Publication

Retail Compass Summer edition 2020

Published on 28 Jul 2020. By Jeremy Drew, Partner and Karen Hendy, Partner

Welcome to the Summer 2020 edition of Retail Compass – our guide to key upcoming legal and policy changes affecting Retail and our thoughts on the need-to-know issues.

Thinking - Blog

'Nosecco' is a no-no, says the High Court

Published on 01 Jul 2020. By Ciara Cullen, Partner and Sarah Mountain, Partner

In recent years, health and wellbeing has been big business in the UK. The COVID-19 outbreak has only further stoked the desire to obtain and maintain healthy minds and bodies and the trend looks set to continue, across the retail sector.

Thinking - Video

TerraLex virtual meeting: The new wave of M&A

Published on 18 Jun 2020. By Neil Brown, Partner and Paul Joukador, Partner

In this video presentation, RPC's Neil Brown and Paul Joukador meet with Lori Green and Rick McGuirk to discuss issues related to force majeure, frustration of purpose, material adverse change, and how they’ve been impacted and will likely change in the post-pandemic world.

Thinking - Blog

The ASA bites back – Burger King 'Rebel Whopper' ads ruled to be misleading and in breach of advertising rules

Published on 07 May 2020. By Ben Mark, Partner

At the start of the year, Veganuary hit the headlines, with the British public challenged to ditch animal by-products in favour of a plant-based diet for the month of January.

Thinking - Blog

The ASA bites back – Burger King 'Rebel Whopper' ads ruled to be misleading and in breach of advertising rules

Published on 07 May 2020. By Ben Mark, Partner

At the start of the year, Veganuary hit the headlines, with the British public challenged to ditch animal by-products in favour of a plant-based diet for the month of January.

Thinking - Blog

Give retailers a break, lawyers tell creditors

Published on 16 Apr 2020.

Lawyers have called for a break on winding-up petitions against retailers as they fail to pay creditors due to the outbreak. So far, retailers have been hit with 52 winding-up petitions since the beginning of the year, with the numbers accelerating since the coronavirus outbreak took hold, according to lawyers at RPC.

Thinking - Blog

Could I mitigate my losses by using my premises for other purposes?

Published on 14 Apr 2020.

With the inevitable impact of the coronavirus on retail businesses, many will be looking to mitigate their losses. One obvious way of doing this would be to use their premises, often their single largest overhead, for other uses. But is this possible and what must you consider?

Thinking - Blog

COVID-19: The groceries sector - temporary competition law exemption comes into force

Published on 03 Apr 2020. By Melanie Musgrave, Of Counsel

In light of "exceptional and compelling reasons of public policy" arising from the Covid-19 pandemic, the Secretary of State (the "SoS") has announced temporary competition law arrangements in the groceries sector.

Thinking - Blog

Changing retail landscape leads to decline in employee numbers

Published on 21 Nov 2019. By Kelly Thomson, Partner, ESG Strategy Lead

The retail sector continues to face change and challenge from every conceivable angle and employment within the sector is following this trend.

Thinking - Blog

Fixing Fast Fashion: Parliament aims to put the brakes on retailers

Published on 10 Apr 2019. By Jeremy Drew, Partner, Head of Commercial

'Fast fashion' has been providing inexpensive, up to date styles to the mass market for decades, keeping the consumer both on trend, and in the black. However, as society becomes increasingly aware of the environmental and social impact of the retail sector, Parliament has thrown a spotlight upon the sustainability of 'fast fashion' and the modern retailing practices which underpin it.

Thinking - Blog

Advertisement consent – five rules for retailers

Published on 26 Jul 2017.

A summary of advertisement control for retailers in England, including deemed consent provisions, applications, standard conditions and discontinuance orders.

Profile

Kim Wright

Senior Associate

Thinking - Snapshot

Harmful Online Choice Architecture: ASA criticises Nike and Sky for “dark pattern” tactics

Published on 10 Dec 2024. By Oliver Bray, Senior Partner

What must businesses do to ensure that their ads do not fall foul of the ASA and CMA’s ongoing investigations into harmful choice architecture and dark pattern tactics?

Thinking - Snapshot

Agreements to agree: Price for goods “to be fixed” by agreement results in partially enforceable contract

Published on 10 Dec 2024. By Caroline Tuck, Partner and Eleanor Harley , Senior Associate

Where a contract for the sale of goods did not expressly specify the price for a portion of the goods, was the contract for the sale of those goods, or an element of it, enforceable or unenforceable as a mere agreement to agree?

Thinking - Snapshot

Influencer posts and affiliate links: the whole marketing chain must know the rules

Published on 10 Dec 2024. By Oliver Bray, Senior Partner

Why did the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) rule against Sainsbury’s on the use of an affiliate link by an influencer (noting that Sainsbury’s had no involvement in the creation of the post) and what steps could Sainsbury’s take to help prevent the problem from happening again?

Thinking - Snapshot

Construing material adverse effect/material adverse change clauses

Published on 10 Dec 2024. By Caroline Tuck, Partner and Eleanor Harley , Senior Associate

How did the courts go about construing a material adverse effect definition (MAE) in a share purchase agreement (SPA) to determine whether an event constituted a MAE so as to discharge the buyers from their obligation to close the transaction?

Thinking - Snapshot

Travel agent found to have misled consumers with “from” price claims

Published on 10 Dec 2024. By Oliver Bray, Senior Partner

How can advertisers avoid misleading consumers when using “from” price claims?

Thinking - Snapshot

Reasonable notice termination not construed or implied into a contract with detailed termination provisions

Published on 10 Dec 2024. By Caroline Tuck, Partner and Eleanor Harley , Senior Associate

Where a contract contains comprehensive termination provisions, in what circumstances will the court avoid construing or implying an additional right to terminate on reasonable notice?

Thinking - Snapshot

ASA rules against telecoms companies on mid-contract price rises

Published on 10 Dec 2024. By Oliver Bray, Senior Partner

What steps should be taken to ensure contractual mid-term price rises don’t fall foul of advertising regulations or Ofcom’s existing and incoming transparency rules?

Thinking - Snapshot

Effect of a contractual liability cap on set-off and contractual interest

Published on 10 Dec 2024. By Caroline Tuck, Partner and Eleanor Harley , Senior Associate

Under a contract’s liability cap, should the cap be applied separately to each party’s liability before any set-off or after calculating the net financial position between the parties?

Thinking - Snapshot