Bristol and London law firm Temple Bright is acting for commercial property investment and development company SEP Properties on a number of projects ahead of its planned rollout of up to 15 new sites across the UK.
Midlands-based SEP Properties, a family business formed in 1986 by Sukhdev Singh Sanghera and Harjinder Kaur Sanghera, specialises in mainly retail-led, mixed-use schemes and works with a range of major retailers, including Sainsbury’s, Tesco, the Co-op, Halfords, WH Smith and Boots. 
It boasts a capital value of more than £200m with a portfolio of 100-plus food store investments and more than 900 residential units.
Following an introduction from Hayes Parsons Insurance Brokers, Temple Bright has been advising SEP on a range of matters with construction partner Julia Davenport-Cooper leading on two projects involving sites for its regular partners Heron Foods and the Co-op , involving the conversion of the former Pied Piper pub in Scunthorpe and a new store in Upwell, Cambridgeshire.
Temple Bright hopes to advise SEP as it expands its portfolio with the acquisition and development up to 15 further sites over the next few years.
SEP Properties managing director Palminder Singh said: “It has been a pleasure working with Julia and Temple Bright on the Pied Piper and Upwell projects, working with Heron Foods and the Co-op respectively.
“Julia has a deep understanding of the retail property sector which she constantly uses to her clients’ advantage, helping us to implement projects in a pragmatic, unfussy way while missing nothing in the detail. We look forward to involving her on the development of further sites in the near future.”
Julia, pictured, added: “We are delighted to be advising SEP Properties on these two projects which further expand a hugely impressive national portfolio.
“It is a pleasure working with Palminder Singh and we look forward to continuing our partnership with SEP as it realises its ambitious plans in the coming months and years.
“Alongside helping SEP with the construction aspects of its agreements for lease, we have been able to assist with advising on their construction procurement strategy and preparing SEP group standardised building contracts, appointments and warranties.
“This should enable SEP to contract with its partners even more efficiently, thereby saving both time and money.”
Hayes Parsons Insurance Brokers managing director James Woollam said: “We are delighted to have been able to introduce Temple Bright to SEP Properties, an exciting property investor and developer with a large national footprint which is set to expand further.
“We have worked closely with Julia Davenport-Cooper on a range of projects and have been impressed with her understanding of the market as well as her legal skills.
“The entire team is strong and the firm’s senior lawyer model, comprising experienced advisers across a range of legal disciplines, is just what an ambitious high growth business like SEP needs.”
Temple Bright co-founder Tim Summers, pictured, congratulated SEP Properties on its latest schemes, which he said augmented its superb asset base across a range of sectors and regions.
“It is a real privilege to be advising such a dynamic business and we are delighted to have SEP as a client,” he added.
“Julia Davenport-Cooper is ideally qualified to lead the firm’s advice given her familiarity with projects of this kind, her professional expertise and her positive, can-do attitude which clients love.”
Temple Bright was launched in Bristol in 2010, using a tech-enabled, streamlined business model.
It opened a second office in London EC2 in 2013 and now has 74 partners, evenly spread between the two locations.
The firm advises clients ranging from start-ups to PLCs across a range of sectors, with significant expertise in real estate and construction work.
