Showcasing the Best of Welsh Business

DEFAULT GROUP

Terminating Distribution Agreements Under UK Law

SHARE
,

Distribution agreements are not protected under UK legislation in the same way as agency agreements are protected under the UK Commercial Agents Regulations 1993.

Often sellers will not have written distribution agreements in place, instead it will be dictated by the seller’s terms and conditions for the supply of goods. Greenaway Scott considers how to terminate a distribution agreement which is governed by the seller’s terms and conditions under UK law.

Terminating a distribution agreement on the seller’s terms and conditions

If there is no written distribution agreement in place but instead the agreement is subject to the seller’s terms and conditions for the supply of goods, it must be considered whether there is a termination clause in place. If there is, the seller may be able to terminate subject to this clause and by giving the necessary notice stated. If the terms and conditions do not contain a termination clause, this would mean that each order would simply be subject to the standard terms and conditions.

Common law position

If the conduct of the parties indicates a distribution relationship (for example if exclusivity had been orally agreed) this would mean that a distribution agreement could be implied and termination provisions would be governed by the common law for implied contracts.

In the absence of a breach of contract by the distributor, the common law position for terminating contracts is the implied term of reasonable notice. The case for this implied term is strong where you can argue that both the seller and the distributor cannot have intended the contract to last forever (and there is no other way to end the contract).

To determine what reasonable notice is, the UK courts consider the following factors:

  • The length of the relationship between the seller and the distributor;
  • How much the distributor contributes to the seller’s overall business;
  • How quickly the distributor may be able to replace the seller’s business; and
  • The original intention of both parties when they entered into the relationship.

If the distributor decides to bring a claim against the seller for not providing reasonable notice in their opinion, it would be up to the UK courts to consider the factors listed above to determine whether reasonable notice has been given. If it has not be given, damages would be paid to the distributor.

The information contained in this article is for information purposes only and is not intended to constitute legal advice. If you require further information our commercial team would be more than happy to assist you.

Please contact us at [email protected] or call us on 029 2009 5500 to speak to one of our team.

SHARE

At the GS Verde Group, we help businesses in corporate transactions such as acquisitions, investment and succession planning. With multiple disciplines under one roof, we work as one team to provide end-to-end support including corporate finance, legal, tax and communications services.

We help businesses to navigate the complex nature of corporate transactions, whether that is in the form of raising funding, business sales or mergers and acquisitions.

Able to act as your complete advisory team, we add value to your existing management team, saving you time having to manage several advisors and reducing the risk of delays and deals collapsing.

As a corporate finance-led dealmaking Group, we have developed a diverse client across dynamic sectors including Medtech and healthcare innovation, Fintech, food production, manufacturing, energy and more.

 

Related Articles

Business News Wales