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The legal team at supermarket chain Tesco Kipa can boast efficiency credentials after having to downsize as part of a redundancy plan that affected 3,000 staff in the company. The team, which is now made up of six members, completed the redundancy project with a minimum number of lawsuits by offering settlement agreements, which was well planned and implemented with good coordination between HR and operations departments. Truly adding to the bottom line of the company, the legal team defended and won a tax penalty imposed on the company for £40m. The legal team has also been central to closing a number of unique property deals in recent times. Legal director Hüseyin Topuzoglu says ‘the legal team finalised the lease, sale and transfer of business assets in a way not common in market practice. Zoning and property legal areas need expertise in Turkey and our team finalised all these deals beyond expectations’. Currently the legal team is implementing compliance structures such as a compliance committee, and preparing and training to all departments on competition, anti-bribery and labour law covering local and international regulations including, but not limited to, UK Bribery Act and Retail Law of Turkey. Due to their solution-orientated approach and their understanding of the company, Topuzoglu believes that they are a ‘natural go-to department within the business’.