A major builders’ merchant just lost a High Court case trying to stop its salesman joining a rival — because of two words it forgot to define.
In Huws Gray Ltd v Gentleman [2026] EWHC 1309 (Comm), the company had a six-month non-compete clause, took it to court, and lost on every point. The clause was drafted so widely it would have banned the employee from working in the rival’s HR or finance team hundreds of miles away. And the one clause that would have protected its customers was useless, because two key terms were left undefined.
If you employ salespeople, the lesson is simple: having a restrictive covenant is not the same as having one that works. Here’s what went wrong — and what it means for your contracts.