All Sports Direct articles
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News briefs
Mike Ashley sues Newcastle United over replica shirts for 2024/2025
Mike Ashley, the founder of Sports Direct, is suing Newcastle United over next season’s kit. Ashley owned the football club for 14 years, between 2007 and 2021. He has taken legal action against the club for “stopping his Sports Direct empire from selling their replica shirts” in favor of rival ...
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C-Suite Interview
Sports Direct launches Outdoor concept, starting in Cardiff
Sports Direct is expanding its offerings and launching a new Outdoor concept, starting in Cardiff, the retail giant’s flagship location.
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News briefs
Sports Direct integrates On products in flagship stores
After a long time, Sports Direct will finally integrate On in their flagship stores.
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News briefs
Frasers Group acquires WIT Fitness
Frasers Group, the owner of Sports Direct and House of Fraser, has purchased gym and fitness wear specialist WIT Fitness. The retail group has acquired the assets and intellectual property of the London-based sports performance brand. Frasers Group is majority-owned by British retail tycoon Mike Ashley. WIT Fitness is best ...
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News briefs
Sports Direct buys former M&S Liverpool building
Frasers Group, the owner of Sports Direct, has acquired the former Marks & Spencer store in Liverpool as part of its strategy to own the properties it occupies. The acquisition involves obtaining the long leasehold of Compton House on Church Street. The process of transforming the M&S store into a ...
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News briefs
Sports Direct opens new store in Belfast
Frasers Group has opened a new Sports Direct store at Boucher Retail Park in Belfast, Northern Ireland, a property acquired by the group in 2022. The new store spans 3,252 sqm and promises a larger and improved retail space compared to its predecessor at the same location. Spanning two floors, ...
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Analysis
The European sports retail market
Our latest review of European sports retailers shows single-figure growth. We bring you the numbers in full across 15 countries and over 70 retailers.
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Article
Frasers confident in strategy despite short-term challenges for premium lifestyle biz
UK retailer Frasers Group, which maintains its ambition to become the top sports retailer across the EMEA, reported a 12.6 percent increase in adjusted profit before tax (APBT) to £303.8 million (€354.6m) in H1/FY24 and said sales momentum in the early weeks of H2 were being driven by its Sports ...
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News briefs
Frasers Group acquires greater stake in XXL
XXL’s share price rose significantly on the Oslo Stock Exchange after Britain’s Frasers Group acquired 117 million shares in the troubled Norwegian sporting goods chain on Tuesday, now owning 162 million shares, which – according to E24 – equals 9.75 percent of the total shares and 12.16 percent of the ...
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News briefs
Sports Direct working to improve female representation in football
Sports Direct is launching an “Equal View” campaign, which seeks to improve the representation of football fans and grassroots football following the success of this summer’s FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023. The retailer, owned by parent company Frasers Group, has worked with Getty Images to create a free bank of ...
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Article
Frasers scores double-digit FY23 revenue gains in all segments
U.K. retailer Frasers Group, bolstered by acquisitions and a strong performance from its core Sports Direct business, generated a 61 percent increase in annual operating profit to £531.8 million (€613.2m) for the 53 weeks ended April 30. Adjusted profit before tax rose by 41 percent to £478.1 million. FY gross ...
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News briefs
Mike Ashley is reportedly eyeing an outlet shopping village near Leeds
British billionaire Mike Ashley, the founder of Sports Direct, has reportedly offered nearly £50 million (€58.4m) for Junction 32, according to The Times. Junction 32 is an outlet shopping village on the outskirts of the U.K. city of Leeds, in Yorkshire. The shopping destination, which features a retail space of ...
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News briefs
Frasers Group invests in electrical retailer AO World
Frasers Group, the owner of Sports Direct, has announced the purchase of a “strategic stake” in AO World, a retail group specializing in electrical goods based in Bolton, England, listed on the London Stock Exchange. The investment follows “productive talks over the last two years about establishing a strategic partnership,” ...
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News briefs
Frasers to launch Sports Direct in Indonesia via joint venture
Frasers Group subsidiary Frasers Group Asia Sdn Bhd (FGA) will bring Sports Direct to Indonesia via a joint venture with local retailer PT MAP Active, which acquired Foot Locker stores in Singapore and Malaysia earlier this year. The British company said the collaboration is the first step in a regional ...
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News briefs
British MPs write to Frasers Group against use of facial recognition cameras
A cross-party collection of nearly 50 Members of Parliament and peers have written to Frasers Group, the owner of Sports Direct, condemning the use of “live facial recognition” cameras in the group’s stores, The Guardian has reported. The parliamentarians have described the technology as “invasive and discriminatory,” urging the group ...
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News briefs
French courts to decide Go Sport’s fate
According to multiple sources in the French press, the fate of Go Sport and its parent, Groupe Go Sport, lies in the hands of the commercial court of Grenoble, the city for which the sporting-goods retailer is named (Grenoble Olympique Sport). Go Sport’s owner Hermione, People & Brands (HPB) has ...
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News briefs
Sports Direct parent interested in Go Sport?
Michael Murray, CEO of U.K.-based Frasers Group, Sports Direct’s parent company, told Bloomberg that buying the French chain Go Sport out of bankruptcy would allow his group to operate in France “with some authority rather than opening store by store,” which would significantly bolster Frasers’ plans to expand its sports ...
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News briefs
French court will examine options for Go Sport on April 18
The Grenoble Commercial Court has decided to study the continuation plan that Hermione People & Brands (HPB), Go Sport’s owner, the owner of Go Sport, intends to implement, as well as the takeover bids available on April 18. Intersport and Frasers (formerly Sports Direct) are among the potential buyers. French ...
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News briefs
Sports Direct criticized for camera surveillance in stores
As the Daily Mail reports, Sports Direct has recently begun using facial recognition cameras that scan customers’ faces and check them against a database of suspected criminals. Frasers Group, which owns Sports Direct and is controlled by billionaire Mike Ashley, found itself compelled to do so after police stopped arresting ...
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News briefs
British sports retailer reportedly interested in Go Sport
According to Sport Guide, which refers to “several concordant sources,” Frasers Group plans to make an offer for Go Sport, the French retailer currently undergoing a rough patch. Go Sport, which operates 223 stores in France, was placed in receivership by the Commercial Court of Grenoble in January. The court ...