Slaughter and May advised Marks & Spencer (M&S) on the sale and franchise of its retail business in Hong Kong and Macau to its long-established franchise partner, Al-Futtaim. The sale, which completed on 30 December 2017, sees Al-Futtaim become the new sole franchisee for M&S in Hong Kong and Macau.

The sale follows M&S’s strategic review of its international business in November 2016, where M&S proposed to have a greater focus on its established franchise and joint venture partnerships and operate with fewer wholly-owned markets.

Contacts

Slaughter and May, London

Corporate: Paul Dickson (partner), Robyn Butler-Mason (associate), Daniel Whitelock (associate)

IP: David Ives (partner), Michaela Peck (associate)

Tax: Dominic Robertson (Partner), Violeta Pina Montaner (Visiting lawyer)

Slaughter and May, Hong Kong

David Watkins (partner), Oliver Broomfield (associate), Melanie Chew (visiting lawyer)