Legal round-up: Shoosmiths advises on retail deals, Cobbetts acts on housing transfer; and more

Law firm Shoosmiths has recently completed two deals involving high street retailers whose values total more than £110m.

The firm’s corporate team acted on the recent deal involving high street retailer All Saints which saw private equity groups Lion Capital and Goode Partners inject £105m into the firm for a 76% stake.

It also acted for EFB Retail’s subsiduary Whittals Wine Merchants in its purchase of 37 Oddbins stores from the administrators of drinks chain Oddbins in a deal which saved 200 jobs, as well as the purchase of a hotel for Palatine Private Equity investment Hallmark Hotels.

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THE social housing team at Manchester-based law firm Cobbetts has advised Bolton Council on the transfer of its entire housing stock to arms length management organisation (ALMO) Bolton at Home.

The deal involved the transfer of around 18,000 properties which will now kick-start a multi-million pound improvement and repairs programme.

Cobbetts director Sarah Lines said: “We are delighted to have advised Bolton Council on the transfer. The council has invested a considerable amount of time over the past two years in consulting its residents and formulating a regeneration package that will deliver real benefits for its tenants and for Bolton.”

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DWF has launched a new online toolkit which it said will help businesses to comply with equality and diversity laws.

The guide, ‘Employment Law for Business’m contains an online assessment tool which helps employers better understand critical areas of employment.

Following the initial online assessment, employers can then buy tailored training for their workforce to ensure compliance with the rules.

Kirsty Rogers, head of employment at DWF, said: “The number of equality and diversity of claims brought to employment tribunals over the last two years was a staggering 38,310. Last year, 56% more claims went to tribunals with the average amount of compensation in successful claims being £20,910.

“It is therefore vital that employers and employees are compliant with equality and diversity legislation, or they run the risk of lengthy and protracted legal proceedings.”