Compiled by BARRY O'HALLORAN
Getting to know: Mike Ashley
The Sports Direct founder and Newcastle United owner likes “parking his tank on other people’s lawns”, according to one profile.
Last year, he told analysts that he would “finish off [rival] JJB first then I’ll move on to JD”.
This week, Sports Direct bought 20 JJB Sports stores and its website out of administration. The rest of the business is likely to close with the loss of 2,200 jobs.
Over the years, the 48-year-old Ashley has mopped up a number of brands, including Lonsdale, Kangol and Dunlop Slazenger, often picking them up from distressed buyers.
He paid £134 million to take control of English premiership club Newcastle United in 2007 and endeared himself to fans by ridding the team of its debt burden.
However, the relationship soured pretty quickly and in 2008 he attempted to sell the club, telling fans: “You wanted me out; that’s what I’m trying to do”.
After this week’s JJB deal and last year’s statement, Peter Cowgill, head of rival JD Sports, could well want Ashley out also.
In numbers: West Coast main line rail franchise
3
The number of UK government transport officials suspended after the discovery of a mistake in the bidding process for the contract to run Britain’s most lucrative rail service, the West Coast Main Line from London to Glasgow.
£40 million
What the UK taxpayer will pay for the debacle, which led to the contract being scrapped.
£13 billion
The amount that FirstGroup bid to win the franchise in the first place, putting it £2 billion ahead of existing operator, Richard Branson’s Virgin.
The lexicon: Logistical, logarithmic progression
A neat summary of the criteria used by the Government to choose locations for primary care centres – the logical conclusion is that they end up being proposed for sites in the Minister’s constituency, owned by developers who are known to support the larger Coalition party. The process itself involves some basic addition and multiplication, but there’s actually nothing simple about it.
