Retail & Consumer Products

Retail trade and consumer products industry includes trade of many daily consumption products: food, textile, furniture, tobacco products, etc.

Retail trade and consumer products is one of the most developing and biggest areas of economy in all three Baltic States. Increasing purchasing power of people and successful capture of internal market has influence on retail trade. Competition in the retail market is particularly high, market expansion resources are quite limited. Therefore, it is not easy for market players to attract clients and they have to search for new means to generate higher income. There is also competition on the three countries level: the main and the biggest player of the retail market Lithuanian company VP Market actively penetrated the Latvian market and took the leader position, they also invest in Estonia and other Central and Eastern European countries.
 
The retail market is under constant concentration. Kesko Food, part of the Kesko concern, and RIMI Baltic, managed by ICA concern and having RIMI shopping centres in Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia, have united their activities in the Baltic States. Lithuanian retail chain IKI forms the part of the alliance of the European trading companies "Coopernic" connecting "E. Leclerc" in France, "REWE" in Germany, "Conad" in Italy, "Coop" in Switzerland, "Colruyt" in Belgium and other trading networks. Norfos Mažmena is an active competitor in the Lithuanian market.
Other tendencies of this business area include growth of electronic commerce, changes in consumer habits, interest in brands. Tendencies of common market and their impact on a buying power has influenced this. These factors force the market players to adjust their business to the changing consumer habits and needs under respective economic conditions.
 

Experience
The lawyers of the Baltic Legal Solutions have extensive experience in provision of legal services in the field of retail trade and consumer products, some of them having previous experience as corporate counsels of retail traders. This enabled the lawyers of the Baltic practices to acquire deep knowledge of the specific legal regulations of this sector and to be able to propose the solutions tailored to the specific needs of the client businesses.

Our legal teams have extensive experience in various retail and consumer product sector development projects, including construction, lease and acquisition of shopping centres. Our lawyers also provide various services to both producers and salesmen of specific consumer products, such as requirements applicable to specific products, labelling and electronic commerce.

Among other projects the credentials of the lawyers of Baltic Legal Solutions include:

Provision of legal services to one of the largest international retail market chains in a number of projects related to the development of new shopping centres, including construction, design, lease, acquisition, as well as rendering various consultations related to activities of the shopping centres;
Advice on labelling to one of the world’s largest manufacturers of sportswear and sport equipment.
Advisors in the project for development and evaluation of a merger of supermarket chains from tax and financial aspects;
Legal assistance in drafting and negotiating wholesale and distribution agreements;
Legal assistance and advice on various competition law issues related to wholesale and retail trade, including representing against the Competition Supervision Authorities or in court disputes with regard to investigations on abuse of a dominant position or unfair competition cases;
Legal counsel to one of the largest international retail market players in relation to obtaining funding for development form the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD);
Legal counsel to one of the leading catalogue operators in the world regarding consumer product mail-ordersale.