Birmingham law firms Martineau and Loyntons are celebrating with Chinese client Sam Wa after planning permission was granted for the development of The Peel Group's 2,500,000 square feet international trade centre at Birkenhead Docks.

The £175 million Peel International Trade Centre (Peel ITC) will house trade showrooms for over 1000 companies from emerging economies displaying, promoting and selling products to wholesale customers in the UK and Europe. Direct access to these manufacturers is expected to offer new opportunities for businesses and create thousands of new jobs across the UK. 

Andrew Whitehead, senior partner at Martineau commented:"When we launched our collaboration with Loyntons some months ago,  our intention  was to offer Chinese clients, like Sam Wa , a unique combination of legal and business services focused on helping them take advantage of the favourable business climate here in the UK.  The Peel ITC project has been a good opportunity to show how this collaboration can work in practice.  As we move into the next phase, we expect to work hard in coming months both here and in China to help Sam Wa deliver Chinese businesses to the development."

Jenny Loynton said of this important step: "We flew to China in March to join Sam Wa and Peel to help sell the UK as a business and investment location, and in particular the opportunities presented by the Peel ITC. The granting of planning permission was obviously crucial and I now expect to see the development really pick up pace. Our experience of the Chinese legal system and its bureaucracy means we are uniquely placed to help Chinese investors and occupiers become part of the Peel ITC, which is possibly the most important step."

One of the key components in this first stage of the Peel ITC project has been the development of a prospectus on the investment and trading opportunities available for businesses from the Far East, and input from Martineau and Loyntons has included advice on how best to deal with the new UK immigration rules and how to work through the Chinese Government's restrictions on overseas investment.

The arrival of so many new companies into the Peel ITC will significantly raise the profile of the UK within the Chinese and Korean manufacturing sectors, with these businesses expected to use their new base in the UK as a springboard into the vast European market. A move anticipated by Martineau, who recently opened an office in Brussels, at the heart of European policy and decision making.