Our leisure group is consistently highly ranked with a number of large longstanding clients operating in the pubs, bars & restaurants, health & fitness, gaming, sport and museum sectors. These include trade players such as Enterprise Inns, Luminar and Nuffield Pro-Active Health, private equity investors such as AAC Capital and LGV Capital, the lottery operator, Camelot Group plc, a number of major sports venues such as The All England Tennis Club, and many of the UK’s national museums. We regularly act on very high profile matters, such as the Ferrari/McLaren Formula 1 litigation, which received considerable international press coverage.

By working with us, you benefit from working with a team that really understands the sector and issues, developed from our impressive track record of advising on a wide range of leisure and sport transactions, coupled with our insight developed through many long-term relationships with some of the industry’s key players.

In 2008, CMS was ranked number one for volume of transactions in the leisure sector across Europe by Mergermarket. One of these transactions, Nuffield Health’s acquisition of Cannons Health & Fitness was named Leisure Report’s Deal of the Year 2008.

Access the latest legal updates for the leisure industry at www.law-now.com/leisure

Relevant UK experience includes advising:

• AAC Capital Partners
  - on the sale of Park Resorts Group Ltd, a caravan park operator, to GI Partners, a transatlantic private equity firm, for £440 million.  Park Resorts Group Ltd was ACC Capital Partner’s largest ever exit to date
  - on the £70 million acquisition of the T.G.I Friday's Restaurant Business of Whitbread Group by AAC Capital Partners and Carlson Companies
• Enterprise Inns
  - on negotiations with HMRC and the Treasury in relation to the rules relating to REIT conversion and the nature of Enterprise Inns’ business model as to whether it falls within its requirements for a REIT
  - on all major acquisitions and funding transactions since its formation in 1991.  Enterprise currently has an estate of c.7,750 pubs (September 2008)
• Ferrari on the litigation against McLaren relating to Formula 1 GP trade secrets
• Nuffield Health
  - on the acquisition of Cannons Health and Fitness from PPM Capital – this transaction won Leisure Report’s Deal of the Year 2008
  - on the sale of nine Nuffield hospitals to General Healthcare Group.
• LGV Capital on its £65 million acquisition of the Sandpiper CI pubs, restaurants and brewery business
• The All England Tennis Club on a transaction with the Lawn Tennis Association and a number of debenture issues
• A Tier 1 contractor on construction matters for a major project for the 2012 Olympics

Relevant European experience includes advising:

• AAC Capital Partners
  - on the sale of Park Resorts Group Ltd, a caravan park operator, to GI Partners, a transatlantic private equity firm, for £440 million.  Park Resorts Group Ltd was ACC Capital Partner’s largest ever exit to date
  - on the £70 million acquisition of the T.G.I Friday's Restaurant Business of Whitbread Group by AAC Capital Partners and Carlson Companies 
• Avenir Entreprises Gestion, a French private equity company, on the sale of its shares in French travel agency, Tourexcel
• Bank Austria Creditanstalt on the construction finance of shopping mall Palác Pardubice in the Czech Republic with significant leisure elements 
• Budejovicky mestansky pivovar a.s. (brewery) on trademark and protected geographical indication issues relating to settlement of international disputes with Anheuser-Busch in the Czech Republic
• CIB Bank on the financing of Aquaworld and Ramada Plaza Hotel Complex in Hungary, one of the largest aqua and hotel complexes in Europe 
• Credit Suisse on the financing of the acquisition of the Olomouc shopping and entertainment centre in the Czech Republic 
• Crucible Acquisitions Limited, a vehicle backed by Greenhill Capital Partners, on its acquisition of Rileys, the UK operator of snooker and pool clubs
• Cultus Opera Producciones on the planning, development, construction and financing issues for a complex of opera halls, theatres and concert halls in Spain.
• Enterprise Inns
  - on negotiations with HMRC and the Treasury in relation to the rules relating to REIT conversion and the nature of Enterprise Inns’ business model as to whether it falls within its requirements for a REIT
  - on all major acquisitions and funding transactions since its formation in 1991.  Enterprise currently has an estate of c.7,750 pubs (September 2008) 
• Ferrari on the litigation against McLaren relating to Formula 1 GP trade secrets
• The Spanish subsidiary of the Heineken Group on the 'Theme Bars' division of the company (more than 500 bars distributed throughout Spain such as Gambrinus, White Cross, Beer Station and The Amsetleria) on distribution and competition issues 
• La Latina on the lease and future sale and purchase of the 'La Latina' theatre in Spain 
• LGV Capital on its £65 million acquisition of the Sandpiper CI pubs, restaurants and brewery business
• Nuffield Hospitals on the share acquisition of Health Club Investments Group Ltd (parent company of Cannons Health and Fitness and related businesses) from PPM Capital and the subsequent sale of 9 Nuffield hospitals to General Healthcare Group 
• Pradera-AM PLC on the purchase of 3 retail centres in the Czech Republic in various cities - Park Hana, Ostrava Retail Park, Futurum Ostrava including financing. The shopping centre includes restaurants, cinema and entertainment facilities 
• Pramerica Real Estate Investors on the financing of the acquisition of Tulip shopping centre in Martin, Slovakia, including restaurants 
• Real Club de Golf las Brisas on employment law, competition issues and corporate matters including a works contracts for the Club house, lease agreement for the restaurant and the purchase contract of a desalinisation plant
• United Internet AG on the sale of German online games portal Bigpoint GmbH to a private equity-backed management team
• The All England Tennis Club on a transaction with the Lawn Tennis Association and a number of debenture issues
• A Tier 1 contractor on construction matters for a major project for the 2012 Olympics
• Waterland Private Equity on the sale of Loewen Play GmbH, the German operator of gambling halls to a management buyout team backed by AXA Private Equity
• Welcome Break, the UK operator of motorway service areas, on its sale to a consortium of funds led by the Challenger Infrastructure Fund
• W.H. Brakspear & Sons plc on the public-to-private takeover by J.T.D.Investments