Business Law Library & Tracker
Franchising, Distribution & Dealerships
Franchise systems, distributors, dealers, territory and network exits.
Sources last reviewed 28 July 2026
Main law guides
122
Acts, regulations and codes worth reading first
Topics
60
Plain-English clusters
Published case explainers
143
Selected cases with a business lesson
Tracked updates
11
New, amended & reviewed
Plain-English explainers, not legal advice. Use the linked official source for section-level detail, and get advice for your situation.
Get legal helpMain laws
Arbitration Act 1996
UKPGA 1996 c 23
Bribery Act 2010
UKPGA 2010 c 23
Commercial Agents (Council Directive) Regulations 1993
SI 1993/3053
Competition Act 1998
UKPGA 1998 c 41
Misrepresentation Act 1967
UKPGA 1967 c 7
Product Security and Telecommunications Infrastructure (Security Requirements for Relevant Connectable Products) Regulations 2023
SI 2023/1007
Product Security and Telecommunications Infrastructure Act 2022
UKPGA 2022 c 46
Regulatory Enforcement and Sanctions Act 2008
2008 c. 13
The Local Services Franchises (Traffic Commissioner Notices and Panels) (Scotland) Regulations 2024
ScottishStatutoryInstrument 2024 229
Cases
The Financial Conduct Authority v Argento Wealth Limited & Anor
The lasting value of this case is practical rather than technical. If your business raises money, do not assume that a purpose clause automatically ring-fences...
Abbott Diabetes Care Inc v Sinocare Inc & Ors
Do not assume a product’s shape will do the same legal work as a brand name or logo. If customers, clinicians, buyers or distributors mainly identify products by...
Morley's (Fast Foods) Limited v Thurairasa Nanthankumar & Ors
For small and growing food businesses, the lesson is simple: do not assume that changing the name alone makes your branding safe. The court looked at the overall...
Alex Not & Ors v Jaguar Land Rover Limited & Ors
For ordinary businesses, the durable lesson is less about diesel vehicles and more about how product complaints can scale. If many customers say the same product...
Costcutter Supermarkets Group Limited v Ameet Kumar Vaish & Anor
If your contract says a customer must pay for goods delivered, a general liability cap may not be enough to let that customer avoid the invoice. The court treated...
Hendy Group Ltd v Daniel Kennedy
If you are making someone redundant, do not treat redeployment as a box-ticking exercise. This case shows that fairness may depend on whether you took reasonable...
Morley’s (Fast Foods) Limited v Jeyatharini Sivakumar & Ors
The practical message is clear. If your business has settled a branding dispute, do not treat the approved logo as a flexible starting point for future redesigns....
P Patel v DPD Group UK Limited
The practical point is not that any substitution clause will do. A clause only helps if it is genuine, broad enough to matter, and consistent with how the...
Dwyer (UK Franchising) Limited v Fredbar Limited & Anor.
If you use franchise agreements, do not assume a 12 month restraint is safe just because similar clauses have been upheld elsewhere. The court said each case turns...
London & South Eastern Railway Limited & Ors v Justin Gutmann
Read this case as a warning about pricing operations and channel design, not as a final statement that the defendants acted unlawfully. The Court of Appeal did not...
LUEN FAT METAL AND PLASTIC MANUFACTORY CO LTD v FUNKO UK LTD
For small businesses, the main lesson is to check both sides of the trade mark equation. If you are enforcing a mark, be ready to prove genuine use and show the...
PIXDENE LIMITED v PADDINGTON AND COMPANY LIMITED
If your contract gives you a percentage of sales, royalties or net revenue, check whether the audit clause actually works in practice. This decision shows that a...
Ventures Food Limited v Little Dessert Shop Limited
If your business model involves one entity taking a lease and another occupying the premises, make the documents say clearly what right is being granted and what...
Zoe Evans & Ors. v Anytime Clubs UK Limited & Anor.
If you run a franchise, keep clear records showing who controls local marketing in practice, not just on paper. A general right to protect brand standards is not...
Kabab-Ji SAL (Lebanon) v Kout Food Group (Kuwait)
For ordinary businesses, the durable lesson is not really about high-level arbitration theory. It is about contract housekeeping. If you trade with a company in a...
Travel Counsellors Ltd v Trailfinders Ltd
Do not assume a new recruit or franchisee is free to bring over a customer list just because they know the customers personally. If the volume, format or detail of...
Trailfinders Ltd v Travel Counsellors Ltd & Ors
For ordinary businesses, the lesson is simple: do not treat customer lists as fair game just because a recruit knows the customers, can remember some details, or...
The Secretary of State for Transport v Arriva Rail East Midlands Ltd ("Arriva")
If your business is excluded from a tender, do not assume every claim runs on the same clock. This case shows that a private law damages claim may not automatically...