Blacks Solicitors is celebrating after securing strong results for its Holiday & Home Parks team despite the pandemic.
A 15% increase in turnover was experienced from 2019 to 2021 and the team has been involved in park deals with a total value of more than £20m.
The 10 strong team across a range of disciplines, including Employment and Commercial Property, successfully completed a wide range of instructions from a number of sector clients, and won a string of new clients in 2020-2021 despite the impact of Covid-19.
A key factor in the team’s growth has been the recruitment and retention of talent. Katy McPhie, Senior Associate in the Planning team, was recruited in August 2020 to provide specialist planning related support to parks clients and the team has continued to retain talented advisors who are attuned to the needs of the sector.
The Covid-19 virus has had a particular impact on the specialist sector, with the team at Blacks advising clients on holiday park closures, customers challenging terms or not paying pitch fees and continuing to guide clients through the sale and purchase of park businesses while considering the unique issues the Covid-19 virus has had on such transactions.
Aimee Hutchinson, a Partner in the Holiday & Home Parks team at Blacks Solicitors, commented: “Although it’s been a challenging year, we’ve had significant opportunities to support a growing specialist sector and build on the good relationships we’ve been developing for some time. Our growth and new client wins have played a key part in our decision to recruit Katy and have contributed to the successful retention of team members all of which has in turn strengthened our ability to attract new clients and win work despite the impacts of the pandemic.
“We’re expecting to be very busy assisting and advising businesses on opportunities as the sector reopens and the further legislative change that is on the horizon for the residential park sector in relation to being a “fit and proper” person.”
As lockdown restrictions have eased, opportunities have increased for the team in relation to work concerning holiday parks in particular due to the growth in the staycation market. Further, the renewed focus on the sector and the impact of Covid-19 has also led to an increase in the acquisitions and disposals of parks, with the team at Blacks using their specialist industry knowledge to act for both purchasers and sellers.
For more information, particularly regarding compliance with new legislation on being a fit and proper person, please contact Aimee Hutchinson on AHutchinson@LawBlacks.com.
