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Franchising

Birkett Long’s franchising team shares our clients' passion, entrepreneurial spirit and commercial approach, which helps us deliver innovative expansion strategies.

Our extensive expertise and experience in franchising matters enables us to help franchisors protect their interests with practical and effective franchise legal documentation, and to help with the taking of enforcement action when needs be.

When assisting franchisees our experience shows that the franchisee who fully understands the nature and effect of the franchise arrangement tends to have a much better ongoing relationship with its franchisor, since it will have had the opportunity of clarifying and challenging any aspects of the contractual relationship that it is not comfortable with.

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Contact Tim Field

If you have any questions on franchising, please call for a short, no obligation phone call.

Related Services

Commercial Property

Legal advice for business property transactions and land development.

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Helping you manage your business and your employees.

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Guiding you through disputes at home or at work.

Intellectual Property

Helping with IP assets and developing your market offering.

Examples of our recent work

We have recently worked on:

Advised the UK master franchisee on the establishment of a new UK franchised business for a North American coffee shop brand, including negotiating the master franchise agreement with the brand owner, the company franchise agreement and the standard franchise agreement for new UK franchises.

Drafted a new franchise agreement for a Dutch company expanding its operation to the UK, which currently operates 60 franchises in Holland and Germany (we were instructed because we were more responsive than a London firm they had contacted).

Panel solicitor for a leading international hairdressing salon franchise operation for 15+ years, and acting for 50+ franchisees and prospective franchisees on new franchises, renewals of franchises, and sales and purchases of franchises, plus franchise ‘snatch backs’ and enforcement action by the franchisor.

Advisor to a leading fitness gym franchise operation currently expanding into Europe and beyond, including drafting the bespoke and sophisticated franchise agreement and ancillary documentation used for all its franchisees.

Advising a leading international photography studio on its franchise operation, updating and upgrading their standard franchise agreement and ancillary documentation, and overseeing the implementation of fresh franchise agreements across all the franchises, and assisting the franchisor in relation to disputes with franchisees and the sales and purchase of franchises.

Acted in the franchising of a chain of restaurants in the City of London, preparing the franchise agreements and overseeing entry into them.

Drafted the franchise agreement for a class based fitness system, which operates in 126 studios across the UK and is expanding to Australia and New Zealand.

Advised one of the largest national franchisees in the leisure dining sector on acquisitions of outlets from other existing franchisees and taking on new franchise areas (11 transactions over 2.5 years).

Regularly drafting franchise agreements and ancillary documents for the franchisor of new franchises involving a variety of businesses including:

  • fitness gym franchises
  • domiciliary care agency
  • pet sitting business
  • driving school
  • new estate agency
  • baby swimming school
  • cosmetic surgery training establishment.
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