A high court judgment could pave the way for more affordable rents for art and antiques dealers in St James’s.
After a six-year legal battle, textile dealer S Franses was victorious in a dispute with its landlord over a new lease and rent at the gallery in Jermyn Street.
Following a four-day hearing, culminating on June 18, the High Court case of S Franses Limited v Cavendish Hotel (London) determined the rent set in a new lease for the gallery should be £102,000, less than half the previous passing rent of £220,000.