Macfarlanes advises on the acquisition of The Ritz London

Macfarlanes has advised on the acquisition of The Ritz by one of its private Qatari investor clients.

The Macfarlanes team was led by corporate and M&A partner Howard Corney with expertise provided by a number of practices across the firm including real estate partner Tom Pedder, employment partner Seán Lavin, commercial partner Malcolm Walton and tax and reward senior counsel Kirsten Prichard Jones.   

Howard Corney comments: “We are delighted to have assisted our client with the acquisition of this prestigious institution. The transaction required the support of a large team at a time when the entire firm was working remotely for the first time in its history. The manner in which the team overcame those challenges whilst maintaining the highest client service levels was exceptional.”     

A spokesperson for the new owner commented: “It is a privilege to become the owner of the iconic Ritz Hotel and have the opportunity to build on its innate style and grand traditions. During this Covid-19 crisis, our first priority is towards the staff of The Ritz, who together are the essence of The Ritz’s 115 year old reputation. Once this pandemic has passed, we look forward to re-opening the hotel and to sharing our longer-term plans.”