Legal team revealed behind pub group sale
The legal team behind the sale of eight Orange Tree pubs across the East Midlands has been revealed.
Leicester-based BHW Solicitors advised the Orange Tree Group on the deals with a team that included partner and head of corporate & commercial, Ed Nurse, and partner and head of commercial property, Bev Merrell.
Raj Hundal, associate solicitor, and James Bryce, solicitor, were also on the project team advising on commercial property aspects. While on the corporate and commercial project team were partner, Alex Clifton, and solicitor, Rob Flannagan. Employment considerations were advised on by partner and head of employment, Jack Khurana.
The deals involved a mixture of tied and free houses, owned and leased premises as well as intellectual property and employment aspects and also an internal restructure.
Due to the variety of the businesses owned by the Orange Tree Group, one buyer could not be found for the group. The eight sites were sold to four different buyers, including two sales to management and two to third parties.
Ben Hings, director of the Orange Tree Group, said: “I’m certain all of the sites will be in safe hands. The plans that all of the buyers have will provide opportunities for the staff and continue our values of providing a great experience for the customers.”
The Leicestershire-based Orange Tree Group, which was setup in 1997 by directors Ben Hings and Gareth Smith, has sold its Orange Tree pubs in Leicester, Loughborough and Nottingham to the Charles Wells group. The Kelso in Loughborough has also been purchased by Charles Wells.
Nurse: “It was a pleasure to act for Ben and Gareth on this project. The complex nature of the multiple deals with a variety of considerations really played into BHW’s strengths as a specialist commercial law firm.”
Meanwhile, the Orange Tree pub in Derby has seen a 10-year lease agreed with two members of the former management team.
Nurse continued: “We were able to draw on very specific knowledge from across our teams to ensure the Orange Tree Group received only the best tailored advice.”
Two further sites owned by the Orange Tree Group, Fenways in Loughborough and the Lansdowne in Leicester, have been acquired by Novatis Private which operates under the Koban Group.
The final stage of the disposal project, which saw the first four sites complete in November 2018, has now been finalised. The team at BHW advised on the management restructure of the Basement in Leicester, seeing it pass to part of the existing ownership.
