High Court sets course for massive £85m Vodafone franchise dispute

A High Court judge has set out the roadmap for a major legal battle between Vodafone and more than 60 of its former franchise partners, in a case that centres on allegations of wrongdoing in the running of its retail network. 

In APK Communications & Ors v Vodafone Ltd, heard in the Commercial Court in London, Mr Justice Bryan dealt with the first procedural stage of the case, This was a Case Management Conference, focusing on how the litigation should be organised rather than the merits of the claims themselves.

The judge made clear the limited but important scope of the session: “This is the hearing of the first Case Management Conference in this case.”

Claims

The claim is being brought by more than 60 franchise operators against Vodafone Limited. The size of the claimant group is reflected in the multiple legal teams involved on their side and coud reach £85 million in settlement.

At this stage, the court did not examine or rule on the substance of the allegations. Instead, the focus was on how the case should proceed through the courts.

Split trial?

A central issue addressed by the judge was whether the case should be split into two separate trials.

The court recorded that both parties support dividing the proceedings into:

• A first trial dealing with liability (“Trial 1”)

• A second trial dealing with quantum (“Trial 2”)

The judgment describes this as the “Split Trial Application”, noting that while both sides agree in principle, “the parties have been unable to agree the precise division of issues”.

The judge also emphasised that any split remains subject to the court’s approval, stating it is “subject to whether the Court agrees that such a course is appropriate.”

Representation

The hearing also dealt with an application by the claimants regarding their legal representation.

Mr Justice Bryan described this as “a heavy application by the Claimants” to be represented by both Knights Professional Services Limited and Bird & Bird LLP.

The application had been issued shortly before the hearing, on 18 March 2026, and forms part of the court’s case management decisions about how the litigation will be conducted.

Early stage of proceedings

The judgment makes clear that the case is at an early procedural stage. The matters considered were limited to case management issues, including:

• The structure of the trial

• Representation of the parties

No findings were made on liability or damages.

The court will now determine the appropriate structure for the proceedings, including whether to order a split trial and how the issues will be allocated between any such stages.

Further case management steps will follow, including the preparation of evidence and the progression of the claim towards trial.

Framework

The ruling establishes the framework for how the dispute between the franchisees and Vodafone will be heard, but does not address the underlying allegations.

Those issue of g whether Vodafone is liable and whether any losses were caused will be determined at a later stage of the proceedings.