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RPC scores top rankings in Chambers UK 2023

Published on 20 Oct 2022. By Kimberley Nanson, Senior PR & External Communications Manager

RPC has achieved top ranking in nine practice areas in Chambers UK 2023.

Six-cess! RPC recognised as top-tier firm across six areas in The Legal 500 UK 2023

Published on 29 Sep 2022. By Kimberley Nanson, Senior PR & External Communications Manager

The 2023 edition of the Legal 500 UK rankings has been released and we are delighted with the latest results.

Code of Conduct for Leasing of Retail Premises to take effect from 1 February 2024

Published on 11 Dec 2023. By Bonnie Wong, Of Counsel

Following from the passing of the Lease Agreements for Retail Premises Bill which mandates compliance with the Code of Conduct for Leasing of Retail Premises in Singapore ("Code") for qualifying leases of retail premises earlier this year, the Lease Agreements for Retail Premises Act ("Act') is expected to take effect from 1 February 2024.

Wilko becomes 'yet another casualty' of tough economic conditions facing UK retailers

Published on 10 Aug 2023. By Finella Fogarty, Partner, Head of Restructuring & Insolvency

'Perfect storm' of rising interest rates, increased energy bills, supply chain issues and squeezed customer spending is hitting retailers hard

Influencers and retailers remain under intense ASA scrutiny

Published on 01 Jun 2021. By Joe Lippitt, Partner

Influencers, and the retailers whose products they are advertising, continue to be put under the Advertising Standards Authority's (ASA) microscope for failing to comply with ad rules. The ASA has put influencers and brands on notice after a monitoring sweep of influencer posts carried out last year revealed widespread failures to adequately disclose ad content. Following the monitoring sweep, the ASA has also released practical guidance to help educate influencers and ensure any ads they post are CAP Code compliant.

Retail sales are bright as summer comes to a close

Published on 12 Sep 2017.

Business rate hikes about to hit retailers

Published on 08 Feb 2017.

Retailers are bracing themselves for increased property costs in the form of newly calculated business rates which take effect in April 2017.

Mobile marketing – lessons learnt from Optical Express

Published on 15 Jan 2016.

Mobile marketing is an essential part of the marketing tool kit of most retailers.

Don't blame it on the sunshine – the impact of weather on the retail industry

Published on 30 Oct 2015.

The Met Office has recently published a report that considers the impact of weather on the retail industry (a copy is available here).

Can omni-channel deliver a retail experience?

Published on 16 Oct 2015.

Greater competition for a hassle-free retail experience is on the agenda for both internet only and bricks and mortar retailers.

'Stand Up and Deliver' - the competition for same day delivery hots up

Published on 12 Oct 2015.

Argos has become the first UK bricks and mortar retailer to offer shoppers same day delivery up to 10pm.

Feast your eyes on this! ASOS and Wall's collaboration a trade mark success?

Published on 29 Jul 2015.

Back in December 2014 Retail Therapy featured an article on the surprising collaboration between McDonalds and Moschino.

Can concessions heal the high street?

Published on 02 Jun 2015.

Typically, concessions are used by retailers to incorporate third party brands into their retail space and broaden the range of products on offer to their target consumers.

Fashioning a market – the impact of London Fashion Week on high street retailers

Published on 05 Mar 2015.

London Fashion Week (LFW) has closed its doors once again for another 6 months before fashion's greatest and most celebrated designers return to showcase their S/S16 collection on 18 September 2015.

High street consumers grant HMV a second chance

Published on 10 Feb 2015.

Music and entertainment retailer HMV has posted a 17.5 percent increase in sales for 2014, making it the UK's biggest seller of physical music and signalling a triumphant comeback following its decline into administration in 2013.

Diva's trade mark fever – Rihanna bolsters brand with new applications

Published on 15 Dec 2014.

Having already succeeded in protecting the use of her image in the English High Court Rihanna has now taken steps to broaden the protection of her brand with the filing of 12 separate trade mark applications at USPTO for the word FENTY in conjunction with other words including apparel, beauty, clothing and lingerie.

Would you like fries with your happy deal? – Moschino and McDonalds unveil unlikely licensing deal

Published on 15 Dec 2014.

When Italian fashion house Moschino unveiled their A/W 14 Collection it turned heads in an unlikely sector… the legal sector.

A blue print for brand protection – CJEU approves Apple's trade mark for store layout

Published on 15 Dec 2014.

The Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) has recently held in Apple Inc v. Deutsche Patent-und Markenamt that the representation of a layout of a retail store may be registrable as a trade mark under Articles 2 and 3 of the Trade Marks Directive (Directive 2008/95/EC).

Parliamentary 'wash up' – which Bills made it through?

Published on 31 May 2024. By Paul Joukador, Partner and Praveeta Thayalan, Knowledge Lawyer and Shahil Goodka, Trainee Solicitor

On 22 May 2024, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak announced that a General Election will take place on 4 July 2024. Parliament was then prorogued on 24 May 2024 which allowed a mere 2 days for 'wash up' - the process by which outstanding bills may be rushed through the parliamentary process.

Navigating the Generational Shifts in Consumer Behaviour

Published on 15 Apr 2024. By Jeremy Drew, Partner, Head of Commercial and Karen Hendy, Partner, Head of Corporate and Ciara Cullen, Partner

Gen Z, the first generation to be digital natives and the newest consumer, is turning retail on its head. In its latest edition of Retail Compass, international law firm RPC, takes a closer look at how the priorities of Gen Zers, a third of the global population, are shaping retail and consumer offerings.

Ginfringement: Success for M&S in the Court of Appeal in registered design spat with Aldi

Published on 15 Mar 2024. By Rory Graham, Associate and Georgia Davis, Of Counsel

M&S and Aldi's gin bottle battle over design rights has reached a conclusion (for now) as the Court of Appeal has unanimously upheld the IPEC's decision that Aldi's bottle infringed M&S' design.

RPC advises the shareholders of Wireless Social on its acquisition by The Access Group

Published on 06 Feb 2024.

International law firm RPC has advised the shareholders of Wireless Social Holdings Limited (Wireless Social) as it becomes part of Access Hospitality, a division of The Access Group.

Clear as gin: M&S and Aldi take liquor bottle battle to the Court of Appeal

Published on 26 Jan 2024. By Rory Graham, Associate and Georgia Davis, Of Counsel

Intellectual property enthusiasts' favourite supermarket adversaries were back at loggerheads this week as M&S and Aldi appear before the Court of Appeal. The pair sought to thrash out a first instance decision handed down in the Intellectual Property Enterprise Court (IPEC) regarding alleged infringement of M&S' registered design rights in a gin bottle.

Going Green - Draft Sustainability Guidance from the CMA

Published on 03 Apr 2023. By Ciara Cullen, Partner and Melanie Musgrave, Of Counsel and Sophie Tuson, Senior Associate

Following its public consultation, the CMA has published its advice to government on how competition and consumer laws can help meet the UK's environmental goals.

M&S v Aldi – lookalike claims lit up by design rights

Published on 24 Mar 2023. By Ciara Cullen, Partner and Harpreet Kaur, Associate

As lookalike products rise in prominence, the Intellectual Property Enterprise Court's (IPEC) recent ruling that the sale and advertisement of Aldi's 'Infusionist' range of favoured gins infringed M&S's UK registered designs protecting the light-up bottles containing its 'Snow Globe' gin range (Marks and Spencer PLC v Aldi Stores Limited [2023] EWHC 178) highlights the utility of registered design rights in circumstances where other intellectual property rights (IPR) are often less able to provide protection.

Lookalikes and passing off—bottle design get-up claim (Au Vodka)

Published on 07 Nov 2022. By Ciara Cullen, Partner and Sarah Mountain, Partner and Samuel Coppard, Senior Associate

Currently there's significant activity in the lookalikes space. The Au Vodka claim (Au Vodka v NE10 Vodka [2022] EWHC 2371), which focuses on bottle design 'get-up', arrived in the courts for an interim injunction hearing in September 2022. Au Vodka's application was dismissed. The judgment shows that passing off—get-up claims based on shape can be challenging to bring, particularly at the interim stage, and prompts the question of whether it's possible to bring Cofemel and copyright into the lookalikes arena.

The Metaverse, green claims and data privacy – what critical issues lie ahead for retailers and consumer brands in Autumn 2022?

Published on 12 Oct 2022. By Jeremy Drew, Partner, Head of Commercial and Karen Hendy, Partner, Head of Corporate and Ciara Cullen, Partner

International law firm RPC launches the latest edition of Retail Compass

RPC’s Retail Compass Autumn edition: What challenges do retailers face post-pandemic?

Published on 21 Sep 2021. By Kimberley Nanson, Senior PR & External Communications Manager

RPC, the international law firm has launched the Autumn edition of its Retail Compass, which explores legal and policy changes that are set to impact the retail industry.

Return of the MAC (clauses): renegotiating or exiting your supply chain contracts

Published on 12 May 2020. By David Cran, Partner, Head of IP & Tech

As more challenges arise from the current pandemic, suppliers and customers in the retail supply chain will be looking at their contracts to see how best to navigate the challenges they face. This may involve reviewing existing supply chain arrangements and seeing if there is a way to renegotiate or exit existing contracts.

And the winner is... that pre-loved dress

Published on 03 Mar 2020. By Ela Broderick-Basar, Associate

The recent awards season has seen a new dress-code emerging on the red carpet - wearing clothing either rented or previously worn, in an aim to project a message of sustainability. This reflects trends in the wider fashion world, where sustainability models like rental and resale are emerging fast as brands and consumers look to minimise their impact.

BrewBlog: Sober ad campaign leaves brewery with an unwanted hangover.

Published on 14 Jan 2020.

In response to complaints about an advertisement published by BrewDog Plc the ASA found that the advertisement had breached CAP code (Edition 12) rules 1.3 (Social responsibility) and 4.1 (Harm and offence) and ordered BrewDog not to run the ad again.

The Future of Retail is Green

Published on 12 Dec 2019. By Harpreet Kaur, Associate

2019 has been a year of environmental awareness, aptly demonstrated by David Attenborough's Glastonbury appearance and Greta Thunberg's speech to world leaders at the UN Climate Action Summit.

Can retail drones deliver the goods?

Published on 03 Dec 2019. By Jon Bartley, Partner

A recent flurry of patent registrations provides an insight into how this futuristic technology could soon become a reality for consumers.

The ‘Meghan effect’: its impact on retailers

Published on 18 May 2018. By Emily Saffer, Associate

The right people endorsing a brand can have a significant impact on its popularity. For example, brands that have been associated with Kate Middleton and Meghan Markle have seen a huge surge in their profile.