How Mr Wigan has put JJB and the City behind him to live the dream August 16, 2009 EVAN at 72 Wigan serial entrepreneur Dave Whelan still gives an impression of a man in a hurry. Whelan moves at a sprightly pace between tables in the director’s box at Wigan Athletic, the Premier League football club he owns, and his trim figure still hints at a man who played professional football for Blackburn, [...]
Bag a bargain and get some late summer holiday action August 16, 2009 THAILANDAnantara, on the north of the island of Mai Khao Beach, is wonderfully tucked away from the main tourist areas of Phuket and Kuoni is now offering seven nights for the price of five, a saving of £366 per person. Each of the 82 villas comes with its own 33 square metre pool, set either [...]
BRUNSWICK CAUSES A STIR WITH PUBLIC AFFAIRS ROLE IN BRUSSELS August 6, 2009 A COUP for City PR outfit Brunswick, which is on the cusp of a lucrative new contract to advise HSBC on its public policy over in Brussels. Brunswick boss Alan Parker has long been chummy with HSBC chairman Stephen Green, so the tie-up shouldn’t come as too much of a surprise. But though some in [...]
Toon nightmare for Ashley August 2, 2009 The fate of Newcastle United FC remains in the balance as a buyer is still to be found for the club, despite time running out before the football transfer window closes. Club owner Mike Ashley – the Sports Direct boss – is desperate to dump the embattled club, but remains reluctant to sell for less [...]
JJB prepares for AGM row July 23, 2009 SPORTSWEAR tycoon Mike Ashley is threatening to make an explosive appearance at arch rival JJB Sport’s annual meeting today. The showdown will centre on the exact chronology of Ashley’s £1.5m personal loan to JJB’s executive chairman Sir David Jones, which could pose a conflict of interest. JJB Sports maintains that the £1.5m loan, which has [...]
BT BOSS CAN’T GET BROADBAND AT HOME July 20, 2009 ARE YOU unable to get broadband access at home because of your postcode? Well, it turns out that you are in good company. Not even BT chairman Sir Michael Rake is able to access broadband in the usual way from his Hambledon Valley home, and is instead forced to be a guinea pig for the [...]
Ashley hits back at Jones’ loan claims July 19, 2009 The bitter row between Sports Direct’s Mike Ashley and JJB Sport’s executive chairman Sir David Jones intensified yesterday after Ashley released a contract showing that the £1.5m personal loan was paid after Jones joined JJB’s board, contradicting a former statement by the group. The loan agreement, a copy of which has been seen by City [...]
Sports Direct axes dividend as profits fall July 16, 2009 SPORTS direct, the retail chain controlled by Mike Ashley, yesterday said it was scrapping its final dividend to slash debt after its profits collapsed. The sportswear retailer reported a 91 per cent nose-dive in pre-tax profits to £10.7m from £118.9m the year before. It was forced to write off £53.1m of shares held in rival [...]
Hot weather to prove thirsty work and give pubs a boost July 12, 2009 The City has good reason to focus on the pub this week, with numbers from JD Wetherspoon, Enterprise Inns and Mitchells & Butlers all likely to be high on the agenda. The recent hot weather should have provided some welcome business for the hard-hit pubcos. But investors will also look for firms to further defend [...]
ASHLEY FACES DIRECT HIT July 12, 2009 Sports Direct is set for an investor battle on Thursday as it reports its first set of results with like-for-like comparisons. The group, led by Mike Ashley, is expected to scrap its dividend to pay down debts. Ashley has been in the spotlight for his row with rival sportswear chain JJB Sports’s executive chairman Sir [...]