Sports Direct AGM: Mike Ashley can ignore the outraged of Twitter – but in the new world order, he ignores investors at his peril September 10, 2015 Shareholder unrest over corporate governance or transparency is nothing new, but in this age of social media and e-petitions, public outcry over certain business practices is often louder than it once was. Last week, public opinion, along with a dollop of union pressure, forced restaurant chain Pizza Express to change its policy over tipping. [...]
Sports Direct AGM: Mike Ashley, Keith Hellawell and retailer’s remuneration policy easily approved September 9, 2015 Dickension protesters at the back, you can stop demonstrating now. The votes have been cast and every resolution put forward at Sports Direct's AGM today has been passed. You could go as far as to say with flying colours. Which will come as a surprise to very few people given that founder Mike Ashley [...]
Mike Ashley is the least popular director among Sports Direct shareholders September 9, 2015 Mike Ashley is the least popular director at Sports Direct among shareholders, according to votes taken at the retailer's AGM held yesterday. The multi-billion-pound business, which Ashley set up in 1982, comfortably passed all the requisite resolutions including the re-election of all its directors. But the numbers revealed by Sports Direct showed proportionately [...]
Watch out Mike Ashley: Unite the union protesters to target Sports Direct AGM dressed as Dickensian workers over “Victorian” zero-hours contracts September 8, 2015 Sports Direct's AGM tomorrow is set to be an even more lively affair than usual. Unite the union has revealed plans for a protest outside the AGM with members dressed as Dickensian workers. They will be demanding "an end to ‘Victorian’ work practices at the retailer’s nearby Shirebrook warehouse and that the company pays [...]
BBC charter review: Why Auntie needs local media September 7, 2015 The upcoming charter review provides the ideal opportunity to extend the BBC’s long-established and highly successful outsourcing model to local news gathering. At a time when more power is being devolved to the regions, it is essential that there is a long-term commitment to media coverage of institutions – courts, health trusts, education authorities, [...]
Sports Direct shareholder Royal London Asset Management to vote against Mike Ashley at AGM September 7, 2015 Mike Ashley is no stranger to investor unease, but he could be heading towards a bigger upset at this week's AGM. Following guidance issued by shareholder group Pirc, now Sports Direct shareholder Royal London Asset Management (RLAM) has said it will vote against Ashley's reinstatement on the board this year. Ashley Hamilton Claxton, [...]
Bank to announce rates decision as China woes weigh – London Report September 6, 2015 THE BANK of England will be centre of attention on Thursday when it provides a simultaneous release of its monetary policy decision and minutes from its monetary policy committee (MPC) meeting. The MPC is almost certain to keep interest rates unchanged at 0.5 per cent, with worries about China and oil price declines meaning other [...]
Bonds that tie Rhino Rugby to the game: Manufacturing firm talks red carpet appearances and re-engaging with Rugby World Cup 2015 September 6, 2015 We’ve all had those spoof office calls and when one of Reg Clark’s Rhino Rugby colleagues announced some years ago that “Warner Brothers, Los Angeles are on the line for you”, he naturally suspected a practical joke was in the offing. As it happened however, the call was real. Director, Clint Eastwood, was beginning [...]
Night Tube series: Top seven places to buy a house in London along the Jubilee Line September 4, 2015 With the Night Tube delayed for the time being, now is the best time to consider buying in an area that’s set to benefit from it. Research shows that when new transport links come in, house prices only rise once the trains start running so it’s worth taking a punt before the asking prices shoot [...]