Tourism Matters
With offices in Kendal, Windermere, Grange and Kirkby Lonsdale, as well as a specialist rural team at J36 Rural Auction Centre, we are ideally placed to help a range of Tourism businesses in South Lakeland, throughout Cumbria - and beyond.
- Hotels and guesthouses
- Pubs and restaurants
- Artisan food producers
- Manufacturers of local products
- Retail outlets
- Activity providers
- Tour and holiday operators
- Visitor attractions
- Farm diversifications
We pride ourselves on the fact that many of our clients come back to us time and time again, knowing that whatever the issue, they can rely on us. Building long standing relationships is as important to us as it is to our clients. We aim to support you and your business as you grow.
In partnership with Cumbria Tourism
We are proud to be a Strategic Partner of Cumbria Tourism. Tourism matters. Not just to those in the tourism business and not just to the tourists who visit the area. The tourism industry as a whole is vital to the Cumbria economy and we all benefit from thriving local towns and villages.
Our staff live locally and we all consider Cumbria is the place to be for a good quality of life. We want to see other local businesses succeed and we want to enjoy our leisure time locally whether it be eating out, attending an event, or walking the fells.
Partnerships such as these help build strong networks who can support each other.

We can help you with all aspects of your tourism or hospitality business, including:
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We will guide you through
the process of a business sale or purchase. Whether it is the sale and purchase of shares or trading assets
and goodwill, we work with you from agreeing heads of terms through to completion of the transaction. We work closely with other professionals in
the transaction such as bankers or accountants to ensure the whole process goes
as smoothly as possible.
Our lawyers take a
proactive approach to matters; providing support to clients, balancing the law
with other practical needs and drawing on our wealth of experience in
dealing with transactions, liaising with agents, banks, accountants and other
advisers as the clients’ need arises.
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Renting your shop
premises? Looking to take on a pub? When taking on the lease of a
hospitality business it is important to take legal advice as there can be so
many pitfalls. The law is
complex and knowing what you are signing up for and what your obligations are
in advance, can save a lot of aggravation in the future.
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Whatever your business is
offering, whether it's hotel bookings, the supply of your artisan products to
retailers, or taking bookings for adventure excursions, it is important that
you have good, clear Terms and Conditions.
Your terms should work to
your advantage, but you have to balance that with your legal requirements to
ensure that the terms are fair and comply with the relevant legislation.
Contracts between businesses have less regulation than those between
businesses and consumers. Tell us all about your business, what you do
and what you need, and we can help you get those terms right.
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Your staff are one of your
most important assets. From drafting employment contracts and handbooks,
to dealing with grievances and disciplinary issues, we can advise you and
ensure that you have the correct procedures in place, so that everyone can get
on with doing their jobs.
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Whilst a business may develop
organically into a partnership, without formal documentation, the default
provisions in the Partnership Act 1890 may not suit the business’s needs.
Formal agreements should be put in place to protect the relationship between
the parties for the duration of the partnership and particularly when partners
join or leave it. If you are in business with your spouse, partner, other
family member or friend, you might not think that you need a formal partnership
agreement - but is it better to plan ahead and decide what will happen if
someone wants to leave, or a dispute arises.
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You may be advised that it is better to run your tourism business
as a limited company. We will discuss your business
plans and options and will prepare the documentation required by Companies
House to ensure that you are fully compliant.
As your business grows
and changes, you might need to make changes to its structure. Here we can
help with Shareholder Agreements and restructuring.
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Any tourism business
wanting to sell alcohol or provide regulated entertainment will need a Premises
Licence and have a Designated Premises Supervisor in place to oversee
matters. We can help you apply for a new Licence, or advise you in
connection with the transfer or variation of any existing licences. It is
important to ensure that you are properly licenced, as failure to do so could
result in significant fines, or business disruption if you are unable to sell
to customers.
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Even the
best run businesses find themselves with problems from time to time. From
disputes with customers, or suppliers, to unpaid invoices. We can help to
solve those problems as painlessly as possible. For more information
see Business Disputes
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From large hotel groups, to a
small family run bed and breakfast, you should have a plan for the future.
Succession planning is all
the more important in family businesses of which there are many in Cumbria and
South Lakes. If you want your business to thrive and survive, it pays to plan
ahead. There is much to consider and we can help you plan for the future,
whilst you get on with running your business now.