Tax and Structuring

At Addleshaw Goddard we combine international reach with insight across our industry sectors and business disciplines to provide clients with an integrated tax and structuring practice focussed on delivering real competitive advantage.

The breadth of our practice is reflected in our many areas of specialist expertise and we have long been recognised for our high quality, user-friendly, technical advice which is tailored to meet clients' business and tax requirements in an increasingly tax sensitive environment.

Our corporate tax and structuring team services UK and international clients through a combination of expertise delivered through our own offices, or where necessary, leading advisors in their local markets.

CORE AREAS OF FOCUS:

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Expertise

Banking and capital markets
Corporate real estate and funds
Financial services advisory work
Group reorganisations and demergers
Indirect tax planning including in relation to commercial contracts and the financial services sector
Investment funds
Mergers and acquisitions
Partnership structuring and transactions
Private equity
Real estate finance
Real estate transactions
Solvent and insolvent restructuring
Tax disputes, handling HMRC enquiries

Our approach and experience

Clients consistently talk about the high quality stand-alone nature of our practice, as well as the way in which we can combine seamlessly with colleagues across the business in order to deliver innovative and commercial solutions to specific business requirements. Read more below about areas of focus and recent examples of our work.

Our international reach

For clients who require expertise in a local market we can provide an integrated multi jurisdictional advice, through close working relationships with leading local tax advisers which means are well placed to deliver an intelligent and transaction focussed co-ordination of international tax and structuring services whenever and wherever required.

Recent examples include:

Diageo - break up of its South African joint ventures with Heineken and Nambia Breweries
A global business - break up of one of it's Europe wider businesses, as well as a number of high net worth individuals and family trusts in connection with their property interests
A Malaysian fund - disposal of their indirect holding in a UK property

Our sector focussed approach

Addleshaw Goddard has long been recognised for the insight it brings to its client assignments through the investment it makes across a range of industry sectors. Our tax and structuring practice operates bring specialist technical expertise as well as an in-depth understanding across a sectors as diverse as Retail and Consumer, Energy, Industrials and Financial Services.

Experience of the high quality advisory work we have undertaken includes:

Multinational insurance company - establishment of its solar PV fund and their investment into a 21.5MW biomass project
Sainsbury's Bank - collaboration with Travelex
Tax advice in relation to a securitisation by UPP in order to refinance existing bank facilities

Mergers and acquisitions

We have a strong and diverse M&A tax and structuring practice, acting on high profile transactions for corporate clients, with particular insight into the energy, retain & consumer, real estate and financial services sectors.

Recent examples include:

Diageo - tax structuring of the of Gleneagles Hotel (host venue to the Ryder Cup 2014) by way of share sale to Ennismore Capital
KCOM Group plc - providing VAT advice, on its sale of its national telecoms network infrastructure assets to CityFibre Infrastructure Holdings plc
Acting for Capita on numerous cross-border acquisitions
Advising Shepherd Homes Limited on the sale of its entire house-building business

Private equity

The AG Private Equity practice is well known in the market and the tax and structuring practice complements that highly rated team, advising on transactions and incentivisation of management teams.

Recent examples include:

ECI Partners - acquisition of Evans Cycles
Management of Kurt Geiger - agreement by Cinven to acquire Kurt Geiger for £245,000,000 from Sycamore Partners in December
Private equity and management sellers of Bifold Group Limited, a private equity backed designer and manufacturer of pumps and valves to the oil and gas industries
Shareholders of REN Limited - sale to Unilever plc

Real estate

Addleshaw Goddard has one of the largest real estate teams in the UK. Working independently or as an integral part of the that practice, our tax and structuring team has experience of complex real estate structuring and tax advisory work for investors, developers and occupiers on real estate joint ventures, funds and structured acquisitions, and energy and infrastructure projects.

Recent examples include:

Peel group - strategic joint venture with Legal & General for the ownership and further development of MediaCityUK, the media hub in Salford, Greater Manchester from which the BBC, ITV and others run their north of England operations
Tax restructuring of £1.8bn property portfolio and subsequent £937m refinancing for Criterion Capital
A leading savings and investment business - purchase of a portfolio of 22 properties (retail, office, industrial and residential) for £165m, by way of a corporate acquisition