Could the Coronavirus Crisis sharpen and re-shape Commercial Innovation?

The easing of the English coronavirus lockdown measures Boris Johnson’s administration was forced to impose carries the hope that the economy will be able to rise again as soon as possible.  The role of the executives of each business and the strategies they employ will be vital.  Businesses must be agile and act for their customers with speed and efficiency; businesses that are techno-savvy and able to utilise smart working methods will win the day using the capacity to adapt to meet clients’ demands and work with them and where possible, anticipating and offering pro-active solutions when additional obstacles arise.

All businesses are facing challenges but those organisations that trade across borders face a greater challenge as each country rises again.  The progress towards the resumption of normal business dealings will not be on the same trajectory for each country. Giambrone’s corporate and commercial team recognise that there are opportunities for cross-border acquisition and mergers that will strengthen a number of industry sectors by providing a safer platform for large to mid-sized businesses also offering more substance to survive problematical trading conditions that currently likely to be encountered in the international commercial arena.  The acquisition of part of your supply chain may be an astute way of gaining a greater degree of control over your own ability to deliver to your customers; or securing a controlling percentage of a key overseas wholesaler or manufacturer. 

The current uncertain economic climate and the urgent need to return as near normal trading as possible does not allow for lengthy planning and when a suitable candidate for a cross-border acquisition appears Giambrone’s corporate and commercial team advises working closely with financial and legal advisors to limit and reduce the risks as far as possible.  Nick McEwen, an associate in Giambrone & Partners, commented “in cross-border mergers and acquisitions it is imperative to have a legal team fully conversant with legal ramifications of the jurisdictions within which your agreement is intended to perform.” He further commented “comprehensive due diligence together with cultural understanding enabling the recognition of underlying manoeuvring of crucial information within the commercial information provided is essential.”

Adaptability is the secret to managing the unexpected and if obstacles arise it may be wholly possible to find a way to overcome an unforeseen aspect of your transaction and eliminate the unfavourable features.  Giambrone’s corporate and commercial team have incisive negotiating skills and extensive experience of the need to apply agile solutions during the course of a transaction.  

Going forward into the commercial world arising from the pandemic requires resilience, the capacity to predict risk and the ability to adapt quickly; these factors will be key to survival as well as legal advisors that can provide both fast local responses combined with the vision of a dynamic global strategy. The new normal with cost-effective working from home, smaller shorter Zoom meetings will feel smarter and better than the way businesses worked before coronavirus.  Against the odds, it could be that the coronavirus crisis will prove to be the catalyst for positive change? The opportunities are there for those businesses with the foresight to see through the panic.

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