Mike Ashley’s Frasers Group to take £100m hit on lockdown restrictions February 23, 2021 Frasers Group, the retail empire owned by Sports Direct founder Mike Ashley, announced this morning that it expects to take a £100m hit due to lockdown restrictions. The retailer, which also owns House of Fraser and Jack Wills, said the length of the current lockdown, potential changes to consumer behaviour and the risk of future [...]
Mercedes-AMG A45 S review: the hottest hatchback February 23, 2021 The 421hp Mercedes-AMG A45 S is a five-door hatchback that outpaces some supercars. Tim Pitt spends a week driving it.
The changing face of match-fixing and why integrity mustn’t be allowed to suffer as Covid-19 squeezes budgets February 19, 2021 As sports events continue to take place in unfamiliar surroundings, the integrity of competitions has been thrust into the spotlight as match-fixing grows and evolves. The global pandemic has created many new challenges to the sporting world, none more significant than the way in which criminals have been able to intensify their operations and become [...]
Volkswagen Golf GTI Mk8 review: reinventing an icon February 6, 2021 The VW Golf GTI is back for the eighth time, with sportier styling and a more focused chassis. Does that make it a better hot hatchback?
Taxing time for Ed Sheeran as singer pays £28m to HMRC January 29, 2021 Singer Ed Sheeran paid a whopping £28m in taxes this year, making him one of the UK’s biggest taxpayers. Ed Sheeran was named along with 49 others as part of the Sunday Times Tax List, which lists the taxes paid by the wealthiest in the country. Sheeran was by far the most high-profile new entry [...]
Toyota RAV4 Plug-in review: an expensive way to save money January 26, 2021 The Toyota RAV4 Plug-in is a part-electric, part-hybrid SUV with impressive fuel economy and emissions – but a high price tag.
Larry King: US talk show host dies after testing positive for Covid-19 January 23, 2021 Larry King, the US talk show legend who quizzed world leaders, politicians and celebrities during a career spanning more than six decades, has died aged 87. The TV star had been admitted to a Los Angeles hospital after testing positive for coronavirus in December. In a statement on social media Ora Media, the production company [...]
Gloucester Rugby CEO Lance Bradley: Scrap relegation this season, it’s not right and would be catastrophic for any Premiership club January 21, 2021 “It would be catastrophic,” says Gloucester Rugby chief executive Lance Bradley, matter-of-factly, about the prospect of relegation. Gloucester sit bottom of the Premiership table after six rounds of fixtures, raising the spectre of another swingeing financial blow as all clubs count the cost of the pandemic. It hardly bears thinking about – and Bradley doesn’t [...]
Shakespeare: JD Sports’ athleisure focus leaves them sitting pretty January 20, 2021 JD Sports and Sports Direct are known rivals and their parent companies own most of Britain’s high streets. While both sell many of the same brands, there are marked differences in the companies’ focuses, with JD Sports selling sports-fashion and Sports Direct selling sports equipment and clothing. Earlier in January, JD Sports predicted its annual [...]
The best of travel: Anguilla is the epitome of tropical fun times January 19, 2021 To tide us over until we’re able to travel again, we’re republishing classic travel stories from our archives. This week we revisit Steve Hogarty’s trip to an island paradise in Anguilla. ••• Far out in the well charted waters of the east Caribbean lies the Leeward Island chain, and at its northern tip is an [...]