Antonia is a commercial property lawyer with over 25 years of experience focussed particularly in the retail, leisure and development sectors. She has assisted with clients’ strategies relating to commercial acquisition, development and disposal of pubs and hotels, offices, retail and warehouses (including acquisition and forward funding as well as straightforward growth by multiple unit acquisition).
Antonia has worked with a number of well-known retail, leisure and logistics brands over the years, most notably Superdry, Pure Gym, Soho Coffee, Golden Tulip Hotels, Blooms of Bressingham, and Wyevale.
Expertise
- Landlord and tenant
- Commercial property development (including joint ventures)
- Promotion and option agreements
- Acquisitions
- Disposals
- Property asset management
Experience
Retail
- Acted on behalf of Superdry plc in its various incarnations over the 20 years as it evolved from a small five-shop operator to one of the fastest-growing retailers, including acting on the acquisition of its Regent Street flagship and recent relocation to Oxford Street, London.
- Dealt with all property due diligence and reporting aspects of the Superdry 2010 IPO on the London Stock Exchange.
- Acted for a European lingerie brand on a number of site acquisitions in the UK.
- Acted for (initially) and thereafter supported the team looking after Wyevale plc and Country Homes and Gardens plc concession leases at all their sites.
- Acted for Blooms of Bressingham plc in connection with its retail development joint venture (Limited Partnership) with La Salle Investment Management in respect of the development of garden centre/retail destinations including Bicester Avenue.
- Acted for Blooms of Bressingham plc re property in its hostile takeover by a consortium led by Tom Hunter.
Hotels, Hospitality & Leisure
- Acted for (initially) and thereafter supported the team looking after Pure Gym on its rollout of over 200 premises across the UK.
- Acted on the acquisition and supported development of a portfolio of pubs/hotels in the Cotswolds.
- Acted on behalf of Golden Tulip Hotels in the purchase, forward funding and supporting development of Golden Tulip and Tulip Inn hotels, ranging from straightforward single-site developments to complex developments on unique (and challenging) regeneration sites.
- Acted for Soho Coffee Shops’ multiple acquisitions and landlord and tenant matters.
- Acted on behalf of Golden Tulip Limited re property due diligence in connection with the disposal of shares to Whitbread plc.
Property Development
- Acted for Adalta Real PLC in its development joint venture with U+I PLC for a mixed-use destination adjacent to Bicester Village (circa £100ml dev value) which was ultimately sold to Value Retail.
- Acted for a property development plc in its joint venture arrangements for a mixed-use development in East London over a fifteen-acre site.
- Acted for a national logistics operator in a number of large-scale development transactions.
- Acted in the disposal of Stradey Park, Llanelli (former home of Llanelli Scarlets) to Taylor Wimpey for residential development. The project involved a number of complexities – call in, “roof tax” , and ransom strips.
- Advised on a promotion agreement with a national developer acting for a private landowner and ultimate disposal to Bovis Homes.
- Acted for Hammerson Plc (Grantchester Properties Gloucester Limited) in connection with its redevelopment of the Cattle Market, Gloucester, as a retail park.
Agriculture and Rural Affairs
- Advised on a promotion agreement with a national developer acting for a private landowner and ultimate disposal to Bovis Homes, value circa £15m.
- Advised on a promotion agreement with a regional promoter in the West Midlands acting for a private landowner, value circa £10m.
- Acted on a promotion agreement with an intermediary on the north Gloucestershire border acting for a private landowner, value circa £6m.
- Advised on a promotion agreement with a regional promoter in Surrey acting for a private landowner, value circa £4m.
- Advised on an option agreement with a regional housebuilder in Gloucestershire acting for a private landowner, value circa £1m.
Please note: The experience list above may include examples of work completed prior to joining Keystone Law.
Recognition
Current Trustee of the Summerfield Trust
Former member Cheltenham Economic Recovery Taskforce 2021- 2022
Former Member of the Clearlet panel set up by Land Securities plc for clearer, more sensible leasing practice within the Land Securities portfolio
Former Director of Gloucester Heritage Urban Regeneration Company and Chair of their Design Review Panel
Career
Antonia qualified as a solicitor in 1999. Prior to joining Keystone Law in 2024, she worked at the following firms:
- BPE Solicitors
- Burges Salmon
- Clifford Chance