Retail and consumer

We help retailers and consumer brands achieve their legal objectives and commercial vision.  

Consumer law can be a complex area of regulation, and our lawyers help businesses to understand and comply with all aspects of consumer law. The protective stance towards consumers in legislation and best-practice guidance is increasing in momentum, so it is more important than ever to be prepared or face action from the Competition and Markets Authority. 

We regularly advise our clients on a range of matters, including: 

• Review and drafting of sale terms and conditions (goods, services and digital content) which are compliant with regulations and tailored to their business, from bespoke and discrete service-offerings by SMEs to national retail of furniture and home-design services; 

• E-commerce, including online terms and conditions, and website terms of use; 

• Terms for participation in prize draws and competitions; 

• Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) terms and conditions offering a licence to consumers for use of software on a subscription basis (often with pricing tiers); 

• Marketplace and online platforms and regulation of online intermediation services; 

• Affiliate marketing platforms and loyalty programs; 

• Privacy and data protection issues associated with marketing activities and compliance with the GDPR – we help our retail clients to correctly obtain appropriate privacy consents from consumers, deliver compliant marketing activities such as obtaining consent for marketing communications, the use of suppression lists and the purchase and sale of marketing databases; [link to data protection and privacy page] 

• Practical support on dealing with consumer disputes, including as to cancellation rights and refunds; 

• Subscription services, including compliance with the Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act 2024. 

For comprehensive advice about retail and consumer from industry experts call our retail and consumer solicitors on 0191 281 6151 or email Antony Hall, head of commercial services on ahall@mincoffs.co.uk