Personality of the year September 16, 2013 Mark Carney has been the most talked about central banker for many years, and he’s only been in situ at the Bank for a few weeks. Maybe that makes it hard for the judges to hail him so soon but he has made a big claim to this award. Needless to say there is strong [...]
Sports Direct chiefs take home £13m in share bonus winnings October 3, 2013 SPORTS Direct shares lost their shine yesterday after two senior bosses opted to cash in on £13m worth of shares. Chief executive Dave Forsey and finance director Bob Mellors both exercised 2010 bonus scheme options to acquire 1m shares each before immediately selling 950,000 each at 680p a share. The two directors, who earn a [...]
Sports Direct smashes forecasts September 11, 2013 SPORTS DIRECT, Britain’s biggest sporting goods retailer, posted a big rise in sales yesterday as shoppers snapped up its cut-price deals and helped sustain a strong run for the shares that pushed the firm into the FTSE 100 index in this week’s reshuffle. The company, controlled by billionaire Newcastle United owner Mike Ashley, said trading [...]
Sports Direct picks up Goldman to be its third corporate broker August 6, 2013 SPORTS Direct has named Goldman Sachs as its third corporate broker, months after chairman Mike Ashley used the bank to help sell £100m of his shareholding. The retailer said Goldman Sachs’ first task will be to work with its employee trust to sell 17m shares through a secondary placing. Espirito Santo was also named on [...]
Bottom Line: Reward scheme pays off for all July 18, 2013 AS PROFITS at Sports Direct soared by 40 per cent yesterday, chief executive Dave Forsey waxed lyrical about how important the group’s employee incentive scheme had been in driving performance. Even if you’re not one of the 2,000 staff getting three times their salary in shares later this month, it’s hard to argue with his [...]
Sports Direct to pay staff £150m in shares bonus July 18, 2013 THOUSANDS of Sports Direct employees are set to share in a bonus pool worth over £150m after the sports retail giant posted record profits. Around 2,000 staff will next month receive an average of 12,000 shares each as part of a 2009 bonus scheme that – at yesterday’s share price – will be worth around [...]
Sport Comment: It’s official: ref Owens is the best February 2, 2014 TIME was when you’d leave a big match, turn to a mate and ask who the referee was, and nobody would have a clue. They were facilitators, not the most important name on the team sheet. The cult of the celebrity official is one of the scourges of modern sport. When did anyone ever buy [...]
Ocado and Sports Direct: better to arrive late than not at all August 26, 2013 Whenever bankers are asked to explain why London’s market for new issues – the IPO market – nearly collapsed altogether last year, they cite a number of factors that always include the poor performance of a number of high-profile flotations. The lists are long and varied but almost everybody’s bete noirs include Sports Direct, Mike [...]
Scots face weakened Aussies as tourists ban six for drink session November 18, 2013 AUSTRALIA rugby coach Ewan McKenzie admits his team will be vulnerable against Scotland on Saturday after six players were banned and nine more warned for taking part in a drinking session. In the latest alcohol-related storm to hit the Wallabies, Adam Ashley-Cooper, Nick Cummins, Liam Gill, Tatafu Polota-Nau, Benn Robinson and Paddy Ryan were yesterday [...]
Sports Direct hires Espirito as broker February 6, 2013 SPORTS DIRECT has hired the Portuguese investment bank Espirito Santo as its corporate broker after ending its six-year relationship with Bank of America Merrill Lynch (BAML) earlier this month. The sportswear retailer, controlled by Newcastle United owner Mike Ashley, said it had appointed Espirito with immediate effect, becoming joint broker alongside Oriel Securities. Ashley and [...]