Mike Ashley
This coverage examines Mike Ashley’s activities and influence within the UK retail sector, including his leadership roles, acquisitions, strategic decisions, and impact on companies such as Sports Direct and Frasers Group. Reporting provides retail managers and executives with insights into his business approach and its implications for the wider industry.
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Sep- 2019 -3 SeptemberHigh Street
Sports Direct wants to ‘eliminate Debenhams as a competitor’, court hears
Sports fashion retailer Sports Direct is reportedly seeking to “eliminate Debenhams as a competitor” by funding a lawsuit which would push it back into administration, the High Court heard on Monday. At the court hearing, Debenham’s lawyer, Tom Smith QC, said the retailer believed Sports Direct was “backing the case…
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Aug- 2019 -13 AugustFeatures
Mike Ashley’s high street monopoly
Over the past two years retail tycoon Mike Ashley has been treating the UK high street as his very own personal Monopoly board. However instead of desires to develop houses and hotels on his newly acquired property, Ashley has the grander vision of ‘saving the UK high street’ and turning…
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7 AugustHigh Street
Sports Direct is not a business ‘in crisis’, claims exec
Sports Direct’s head of elevation, Michael Murray, has moved to quash rumours that Sports Direct was in “crisis” in an interview with Sky News, following the purchase of Jack Wills. The retail group posted a profit drop of 9% last year following the acquisition of House of Fraser, which owner…
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6 AugustAnalysis
What on earth is Mike Ashley’s game?
If you’ve been paying even cursory attention to the retail market over the last 18 months, you will know that the founder of Sports Direct, the billionaire Mike Ashley, has been on a mission to buy up the high street. As news of the torrent of CVAs and administrations has…
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6 AugustHigh Street
Sports Direct acquires Jack Wills in pre-pack deal
Mike Ashley’s Sports Direct has acquired fashion retailer Jack Wills from administration, after administrators KPMG accepted the £12.75m offer tabled by the sports retail group. Jack Wills currently has 100 stores in the UK, employing around 1,800 people, with all properties and distribution centres to be transferred to Sports Direct…
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5 AugustHigh Street
Mike Ashley to rival Philip Day in Jack Wills takeover bid
Sport Direct owner Mike Ashley and Edinburgh Woollen Mill (EWM) owner Philip Day are the final bidders for fashion retailer Jack Wills, according to Sky News. It was first reported last month that the brands owner BlueGem was looking for a buyer for the retailer, with Marquee Brands, Johan Eliasch…
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Jul- 2019 -30 JulyPeople Moves
Grant Thornton set to quit as Sports Direct auditor
Accountancy firm Grant Thornton is reportedly set to quit as the auditor to Mike Ashley’s Sports Direct following concerns over the revelations of a €674m (£605m) tax bill. According to the Financial Times, the auditor has told UK regulator The Financial Reporting Council of its intention to step down, citing…
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15 JulyHigh Street
Sports Direct delays FY results amid House of Fraser ‘complexities’
Shares in Mike Ashley’s Sports Direct have fallen by 11% in early trading this morning after it delayed its full-year results citing “complexities” around its House of Fraser acquisition. The results, which were due on Thursday, have been delayed due to “the current uncertainty as to the future trading performance…
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15 JulyHigh Street
Sports Direct increases stake in Game to 84%
Mike Ashley’s Sports Direct has moved a step closer to purchasing video game retailer Game, after it increased its stake in the company to 84%. The retail group has also put forward an application for Game’s shares to be suspended from trading on the London Stock Exchange (LSE), and for…
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3 JulyPeople Moves
Sports Direct retail chief leaves after 28 years
Sports Direct’s head of retail operations, Karen Byers, is stepping down from her position with immediate effect after 28 years, the Press Association has reported. Byers joined Sports Direct soon after it was founded by Mike Ashley, and has been described by him as the person who “runs Sports Direct”.…
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