Contributors
Law firm Womble Bond Dickinson is refreshing its sector offering with the launch of a combined Retail & Hospitality Sector and the appointment of a new Sector Head.
Partner Claire Wilkinson has been appointed as the firm’s new Retail & Hospitality Sector Head and is bringing together its longstanding retail and hospitality teams. The combination is in response to increasing connectivity between the sectors and the firm's commitment to providing the best possible client service.
Claire explained:
"For some time we've noticed our retail clients taking inspiration and advice from our hospitality clients and vice versa. The more WBD can look at and understand our clients as a whole, the better we can anticipate their needs.
“As an innovative business we're keen to 'horizon spot', to look beyond traditional 'silos' and to flex our offering in response to market trends. We're confident both our lawyers and our clients will benefit from improved connectivity and pooling our retail & hospitality expertise."
Based in the firm’s Leeds office, commercial real estate specialist Claire has extensive experience in the retail and hospitality sectors, for over 20 years Claire has advised investors, occupiers, landlords and developers on all aspects of transactions. A Partner at WBD for over four years, Claire routinely leads multi-disciplinary and multi-locational teams.
Commenting on her appointment, Claire said:
“I'm delighted to be appointed as Retail & Hospitality Sector Head. To properly service our clients, we need to understand their businesses inside out. Our sectors cut across practice areas meaning our lawyers go out of their way to learn the nature of our clients’ businesses and WBD is a 'one stop shop' for all their legal needs.
“The pandemic had a profound effect on retail & hospitality. Businesses in the sector were hit particularly hard by restrictions, they had to pivot and innovate at an unprecedented speed. WBD's dedication to retail & hospitality allowed us to support our clients through their toughest challenge, it's great to see them bouncing back and to help them seize post pandemic opportunities.
“I look forward to further developing our sector offering to provide innovative solutions which support our client's specific and increasingly complicated circumstances and issues."
WBD's full service Retail & Hospitality Sector comprises over 150 lawyers and represents many of the world's best-known brands including Whitbread/Premier Inn, ITV PLC, Specsavers and New Look. For more information visit our Retail & Hospitality page.
WBD is a top 20 UK law firm, a global top 100 firm. In the UK, WBD has more than 120 partners and around 500 lawyers based in seven major cities (London, Bristol, Plymouth, Southampton, Leeds, Newcastle and Edinburgh). The firm has 20 offices in the US and its reach extends to Europe where it has strategic partnerships with law firms in Germany and France, and through the Lex Mundi network.
