Buckworths advises food and drink start-ups, scale-ups, and entrepreneurs, from businesses developing their first product through to established brands raising investment or preparing for exit.
We advise on supply of goods agreements, distribution and reseller arrangements, agency agreements, and consumer terms and conditions. We advise on commercial leases for kitchens, production facilities, and retail premises. We advise on trademark registration and brand protection for food and drink brands, and help identify what IP protection is available for recipes and formulations.
On employment, we advise on contracts for chefs, production staff, and management teams, draft HR policies and handbooks, and handle TUPE on business transfers. We also advise on data protection and GDPR compliance.
For food and drink businesses raising capital, we advise on SEIS and EIS, shareholder agreements, and investment rounds. For those preparing for acquisition or sale, our M&A team has extensive experience across the sector.
Book a free consultation to discuss your food and drink business.
Our Services
- Commercial
- Commercial Property
- Corporate
- Data Protection
- Dispute Resolution
- Employee Incentivisation
- Employment
- Franchising
- Funding
- General Counsel
- Intellectual Property
- Mergers and Acquisitions (M&A)
- Regulatory Services
- Secretarial Services
- Strategy and Business Support
FAQs
Supply agreements for food and drink businesses should cover product specifications and quality standards, pricing and payment terms, delivery obligations, liability for defective products, and what happens if supply is interrupted. Getting these terms right is important given the perishable nature of food products and the consequences of a supply failure. We draft and review supply agreements for food and drink businesses.
The main steps to protect a food or drink brand are: 1. Register your brand name, logo, and any distinctive packaging as trademarks in the UK, EU, and internationally. 2. Monitor for similar marks using trademark watch services. 3. Act quickly when infringement occurs, as brand value in food and drink is closely tied to consumer recognition. We advise on trademark registration and enforcement for food and drink businesses.
Taking on a restaurant premises involves reviewing the commercial lease carefully, particularly the permitted use provisions, the repair obligations, any restrictions on alterations, and whether the lease is protected by the Landlord and Tenant Act 1954. We review commercial leases for restaurant and hospitality businesses at a fixed fee and advise on all aspects of the property transaction.