7-Eleven and franchisees authorised to co-operate on store opening times. The ACCC has granted consent to 7-Eleven and its franchisees discussing temporary store closures because of reduced demand as a result of COVID-19 restrictions. The reason consent was required is that 7-Eleven operates some of its own stores and as such is technically a competitor with some of its franchisees. If they had these discussions without seeking ACCC consent that could potentially breach competition laws...

The focus of the law can change so quickly in a crisis. The ACCC released a press release on 27 March 2020 which reflected just that. Whilst we are far from a lawless nation, these relaxations are sensible and will hopefully help to save businesses from teetering over the edge. Game Changer:  potential authorisations to allow competitors to coordinate - this is usually unlawful What's in: efforts to stop businesses seeking to exploit the crisis causing harm to consumer...

Elizabeth Gore-Jones will be presenting the Critical Franchising Update at the Legalwise 10 CPD points legal conference. You can find information about the conference here: https://legalwiseseminars.com.au/course/?eventtemplate=828-10-points-in-one-day-last-chance&event=3605 Sharing valuable information about what franchisors and franchisees can be doing now to be ready for the economic recovery and anticipated legislative changes. ...