Southwold Pier
We acted for our clients on the acquisition of Southwold Pier. The pier was purchased by Amy and Charles Barwick for an undisclosed sum, from previous owner Curious Pier Limited, which is part of the Gough Hotels group which also runs the Angel Hotel in Bury St Edmunds and the Salthouse Harbour Hotel in Ipswich, as part of their portfolio.
We advised the buyers on all the legal aspects of the deal, bringing in expertise from our specialist Leisure & Tourism sector team to advise on commercial property, employment, planning, licensing and regulatory.
The Old Spring Pub
We assisted Bag Katering with its purchase of The Old Spring, a homely pub nestled in the De Freville area of Cambridge, just a short walk from the River Cam and its many boatyards, this being the second pub purchase for Bag Katering. Our property, corporate, employment and licencing specialists advised the company in its acquisition of the leasehold interest and business elements.
The George Hotel
We acted for Bossick Enterprises Ltd and Bossick Hotels Ltd in relation to the acquisition of The George Hotel in Easingwold, North Yorkshire, which is a 18th century coaching inn, which has 15 bedrooms, a bar and an AA rosette restaurant and courtyard. We acted for the buyer companies, which involved advising on property, business assets, goodwill, and employee elements of the acquisition.
Portfolio management
We acted in relation to the management of our client’s extensive property portfolio of tenanted public houses, hotels and nightclubs. In the last year we have dealt with numerous matters, including granting new leases, licences to assign and surrenders, in addition to providing planning advice in relation to proposed redevelopments, litigation advice, debt recovery advice and support and advice in relation to general estate management.
Branches Park Weddings
We assisted Branches Park Weddings (part of the Unique Norfolk Venues group) on the acquisition of a stunning new wedding venue at Branches Park, nestled in 1500 acres of breathtaking Suffolk countryside, with wild woodlands, charming teepee tents, and elegantly dressed barns. Joanna Nicholls, assisted by the commercial property team, advised on the property acquisition, supported by the planning team which advised on complex planning matters and licencing.
Silverstone Circuits
We advise Silverstone, home of the British Grand Prix, MotoGP and the Silverstone Festival, on a wide range of legal issues. Our commercial experts liaise with the in-house legal team to provide advice and prepare documentation which ensures that robust provisions are in place to protect Silverstone and to enable it to provide a world class service to its visitors. Our property team are long term advisers on a range of property management and development issues relating the circuit and its environs, while our regulatory team has assisted on a variety of advertising and health and safety issues. Our litigation teams also provide guidance to Silverstone on how to navigate any issues which might arise relating to the operation of the venue. The services Howes Percival provides supports Silverstone to leverage its fantastic heritage whilst remaining a cutting edge, top quality, modern international events venue.
Abacus Hotels Limited
We advised Abacus Hotels Limited on its sale of Le Strange Arms Hotel to the Chestnut group. The deal involved the sale of the hotel which is located on the North Norfolk coast and features its own beach-side access, 60 bedrooms, self-catering lodges and separate pub, The Mariner. The team provided a holistic corporate service incorporating specialist support from the firm’s commercial property, regulatory and employment teams. We advised on all legal aspects of the deal from heads of terms through to the successful completion of the transaction. The deal was important for the East Anglian visitor economy as it saw the Chestnut Group continue to invest in the sector and increase its portfolio of pubs and hotels across the region.
Horning Pleasurecraft
We advised boat yard operator, Horning Pleasurecraft, on its acquisition of Broom Boats and Broom Marine Services – one of Norfolk’s oldest boating businesses. The deal saw our client significantly expand its business to become a key provider of boating holidays on the Norfolk Broads and preserve the iconic Broom brand which is synonymous with boating and boat building on the Broads. As part of a multi-faceted transaction our client acquired the 8.6-acre (3.49 ha) freehold site together with 78 private marina berths and a hire fleet comprising 24 luxury cruisers and 6 electrically operated day-craft and two fishing boats. In addition HPL acquired the Broom marine services business which provides boat repair and maintenance services to its customer base. Howes Percival advised Horning Pleasurecraft on all legal aspects of the deal from heads of terms through to completion of the transaction. The team provided a holistic corporate service incorporating specialist support from the firm’s banking, commercial property, commercial, regulatory, intellectual property and employment teams. The deal was significant for the region as HPL has plans to not only improve and expand the moorings and hire fleet business but also ambitiously are seeking to once again return boat building to Broom Boats and restore this iconic boating brand with the building of new cruisers. The deal was named ‘Deal of the Year (Sub £10m)’ at Insider Media’s Central & East Dealmakers Awards 2024.
Employment Tribunals and HR advice
Providing day to day advice regarding employment law issues and tribunal claims ranging from unfair dismissal, holiday pay claims and discrimination.
