Jelle Blom

Franchise, Distribution, Agency / Commercial contracts / Logistics, transportation and warehousing / Consumer Law / Omnichannel & Geoblocking / Product compliance & labelling / Litigation & Arbitration / Fashion & Retail

Jelle is a senior associate at the Commercial & International Trade practice group, with a main interest in commercial contracts and disputes (franchising, distribution and agency), within the sectors of fashion, retail and consumer goods. Jelle has broad experience with advising about franchising and setting up selective and exclusive distribution networks. He also advises on omnichannel, geo-blocking, platform, procurement and license agreements, both from a civil law and EU competition law perspective.

Jelle is an active member of the Association des Jeunes Avocates (‘AIJA’). As of September 2019, Jelle is the Vice-President of the T.R.A.D.E. Commission (Trade, Retail, Agency, Distribution, E-commerce).

In December 2018, Jelle completed the postgraduate course National and International Contracting at the Grotius Academy (graduated with honours).

The Legal 500 EMEA 2022 - Retail – Tier 1

Kennedy Van der Laan has a ‘highly-skilled team capable of coordinating multijurisdictional matters for clients’. It has ‘excellent knowledge of the broader EU and Dutch regulatory framework for consumers and competition, in particular the regulatory framework relevant for product compliance, sustainability, advertising and greenwashing in commercial practices’. Practice head Martine de Koning is a leading authority on international franchising, distribution and agency, and her ‘knowledge about competition law is phenomenal’. Also recommended in her team is senior associate Jelle Blom, whose strengths include franchise and agency, commercial contracts, distribution, procurement, sourcing and EU competition law.

Who’s Who Legal – Franchise 2020 - Recommended

The Legal 500 EMEA 2020 - Industry focus: Retail

The Kennedy Van der Laan practice fields 'one of the leading teams in the Netherlands'. Martine de Koning heads up the group and, alongside her EU competition expertise, she is considered 'one of the best franchise lawyers'. Associate partner Bart-Adriaan de Ruijter handles a range of transactions, contentious matters and Brexit-related issues for retail clients, while senior associate Jelle Blom focuses on commercial and international trade matters. Acting for household-name clients, the team handles domestic and cross-border matters including joint ventures, distribution and licence agreements, competition and anti-trust work, and real estate mandates alongside the related litigation and arbitration proceedings.

Testimonial

"We have worked closely with Martine de Koning, Jelle Blom and Renske Sinke. Between them they share excellent knowledge of the legal issues that are relevant when working in retail and they know how to “translate” this knowledge to make it work on a practical level."

Who’s Who Legal – Franchise 2019 - Recommended

The Legal 500 EMEA 2019 - Industry focus: Retail

The Kennedy Van der Laan practice 'provides creative solutions, combining expertise in different areas such as IP, distribution, data protection and licensing and also stands out at managing complex projects' and it specifically benefits clients with 'significant expertise in the retail industry'. Martijn van Bemmel and Jelle Blom are 'outstanding' while Martine de Koning is viewed as 'a top lawyer who perfectly knows the retail industry'. Nike, Converse, VodafoneZiggo and Elecosoft UK are among its client list. Of late the team has handled matters including a complex distribution dispute, franchising, and online retailing issues. It also advised Panda Sporthallen Exploitatie in a Court of Appeal case in which it claimed compensation for the early termination of a fitness club franchise format. Counsel Bart-Adriaan de Ruijter and senior associate Isabel van Tuyll van Serooskerken are other team members of note.

• Representing a global sports brand with the complex process of exclusive distribution contract terminations.
• Represented a UK based software development group with the formation of its Dutch subsidiary. Subsequently, assisted with the buy-out and acquisition of important assets of the UK provider’s (former) Dutch software distributor.
• Assisting several international sports brands with legal advice regarding franchising business across Europe.