General News
Hospitality
What We Do
We act on the purchase and sale of pubs, restaurants, hotels and venues, advise on company structure and shareholder arrangements, handle employment matters and settlement agreements, prepare supplier and booking contracts, pursue disputes and unpaid accounts, and deal with the leases on your premises.
Why We’re Experts
Hospitality businesses change hands with their staff, their suppliers and their liabilities attached. Whether employees transfer, and who carries past liabilities, turns entirely on how the deal is structured — a decision usually taken before anyone has taken advice.
How we work with you
We work alongside your accountant and lender so the legal and financial sides move together, to a timetable built around your season rather than in spite of it.
Frequently Asked
Questions
We’re buying a pub, restaurant or hotel. What should we be checking?
More than the trade figures. The lease, the staff, supplier commitments, licences and any existing liabilities all need investigating, and whether they transfer to you depends on how the purchase is structured.
What happens to the staff when a hospitality business changes hands?
That turns on the structure of the deal, and it is one of the most commonly misunderstood parts of a sale. We will explain the position clearly before terms are agreed, rather than afterwards.
Can you deal with our lease as well as the business purchase?
Yes, and the two are usually connected. A business is worth considerably less if the premises come with a lease you cannot assign, or a break clause the landlord can exercise shortly after you buy.
A supplier has changed terms mid-contract. Can we challenge it?
It depends what the agreement actually permits. Send us the contract and the correspondence and we will tell you where you stand, and whether the point is worth pressing commercially.
How much will it cost?
We will explain the likely cost once we understand what is involved. Where a fixed fee is available, we will confirm what is included before work begins.
Buying, selling or renewing?
Call us
0151 6372 034