Britain's retail tough guy, Mike Ashley, sets his sights on Australia

Mike Ashley is always spoiling for a fight. And the teenage squash coach turned sports shop owner turned British retailing tycoon has plenty of experience. He's been in boardroom brawls, sued the Newcastle United Football Club, which he once owned, and accused Morgan Stanley of 'snobbery' over a $1.4 billion margin call on his position in Hugo Boss.
Now Ashley, the majority owner of London-listed Frasers Group, one of the biggest retailers in the United Kingdom, has set his sights on Australia's sporting goods market. In front of him is an $8.4 billion sector in a sports-mad country that has been long dominated by Rebel Sport.

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Learn with AIFact CheckingText to SpeechAI Summary

Related Articles

AU Financial Review

9 hours ago

• AU Financial Review

PointsBet's takeover saga not over as rival Betr waves cash buyback

Betr has lobbed an off-market, all share bid for PointsBet as it attempts to kill its ASX-listed bookmaking rival's sale to Japanese giant Mixi. To appeal to investors who want cash, Betr says it will buy back $80 million in a complex move that would value PointsBet shares at $1.22. Mixi, which owns a major social networking platform along with gaming and wagering businesses, has offered $1.20 in cash for PointsBet shares.

Perth Now

13 hours ago

• Perth Now

Wallabies giant rates Lions series as career pinnacle

Already boasting a bulging trophy cabinet, Wallabies giant Will Skelton says a series triumph over the British and Irish Lions will the "pinnacle" of his rugby career. The 33-year-old was the only overseas-based player included as Australia prepare to warm up for the northern hemisphere tourists with a Test against Fiji in Newcastle on July 6. It will be Skelton's first Lions campaign, only facing them during the last series in 2013 with the Waratahs as a rookie 21-year-old. He has amassed a Super Rugby title with NSW, is a four-time European champion, and won two English premiership trophies with Saracens and two Top 14 gongs with his French club La Rochelle but says the Lions series is something special. "I was very raw, I didn't understand the magnitude of the (Lions) tour as I do now with all the experience I've had," Skelton said in Sydney. "It's a massive, massive occasion for rugby and especially rugby in Australia ... it will be the pinnacle. "It's very special and a lot of players have been putting their hand up to try and play in those games." La Rochelle surprisingly missing the Top 14 finals means Wallabies coach Joe Schmidt will have Skelton for a full preparation rather than being parachuted in just before a Test. His French form has been down which meant his Test selection was no guarantee but his formidable experience and stature - 203cm and 145kg - made him hard to ignore."I don't think you're ever sure (about selection). You can have conversations with the coaches throughout that time, but you never know," Skelton said. "It's probably my first time in a while that I've been selected in the squad and been able to relish that moment beforehand. "To be able to prep well with the boys in the first campaign of 2025, I think that's really special and I'll keep that close to my heart." Skelton had praise for Wallabies squad newcomer Nick Champion de Crespigny, with the pair going back to Shute Shield days while the Force star also played against in the Top 14. "I played with him at Sydney Uni actually. At training he'd always put shots on, so I'll be watching out for him in camp and hopefully he doesn't hurt me before the games come," said Skelton, who was the Test captain at the 2023 World Cup in France. "He's always has that drive. He was always a worker .… and I saw in France that he had what it took."He'd be real physical in those games and his ruck work was outstanding so for him to be back and getting into the squad, it's a really proud moment for him and his family and it's well deserved."

The Advertiser

13 hours ago

• The Advertiser

'It's crazy': Wallabies relive infamous burger brouhaha

It remains etched forever in Lions series folklore but 2013 Wallabies teammates reckon Kurtley Beale and James O'Connor's infamous early-morning burger bust was "blown out of proportion".Beale and O'Connor being captured at 3.50am at a fast food outlet between the first and second Tests of the previous series in Australia, 12 years ago, sent Fleet Street into a frenzy. Sans Quade Cooper, the other two of Australian rugby's so-called 'Three Amigos' watched their then-club side Melbourne Rebels lose to the British and Irish Lions' mid-week outfit 35-0 in Melbourne before heading to a post-match function. Rugby Australia accepted the pair's explanation that they had not been drinking and opted to take no disciplinary action Beale and O'Connor, who helped the Wallabies level the series four days later with a 16-15 victory over the Lions. "We were just hungry," Beale told AAP this week while reflecting on the "error in judgement". "We went in there and got a feed, and then we were heading back to the hotel. And then these guys took the photo and they put it in the paper. "I thought we were doing a good thing, saying 'G'day'. These lads were full of alcohol and sent it into the paper. And here we are. "I mean, looking at it now, I don't really see anything of it really." Nor did Beale's teammates. "I was vice-captain at the time and I didn't think about it as being a big deal," halfback Will Genia told AAP. "They just had Burger King on a Tuesday night and we had Wednesday off. "The biggest thing was probably that they were out late. If they were going to be up late, they probably would have been better off being in their rooms. "But at the end of the day, I thought that was blown out of proportion. "Those sorts of things happen. Like players are in their room til three o'clock in the morning playing PlayStation or whatever the games are called these days. "What that does go to show, though, is the level of scrutiny and the level of attention that is on these tours is a different level. "And that's what I loved about it. That's what I really enjoyed about it. I love that it was this massive event." Looking back, Beale shrugs off the episode as "another embarrassing moment where it probably got taken out of perspective a bit". "We didn't really know any better," he said. "We still turned up the next day, rocked up, still trained, did our job for the team."But understanding now how that could have a negative impact on the team and the look, we could probably look back and regret that decision."But there was no intention to go out. It was the time when social media was starting to get out."It's one that you just look back on and just got to understand the power of social media. "With phones, people have got a camera everywhere. It's crazy." More than a decade on, Beale's missed late penalty kick when he had the chance to boot Australia to victory in the first Test three days earlier remains the more regrettable slip-up for he and Genia. "The pitch was a bit soggy and I wasn't wearing studs that day either. I was wearing moulds, which is probably the biggest learning curve I've taken," recalls Beale, who still "looks away" whenever footage of the slip is shown. While he doesn't blame Beale, Genia maintains that missed shot at goal and a loose kick from Berrick Barnes that allowed George North to score in the Lions' 23-21 win ultimately proved the turning point of the series. "The reason I can say we we lost the series is we should have won the first Test," Genia said. "We won the second but it took a lot out of us emotionally to come back and win that, and then we were probably a bit flat. We couldn't recover emotionally." It remains etched forever in Lions series folklore but 2013 Wallabies teammates reckon Kurtley Beale and James O'Connor's infamous early-morning burger bust was "blown out of proportion".Beale and O'Connor being captured at 3.50am at a fast food outlet between the first and second Tests of the previous series in Australia, 12 years ago, sent Fleet Street into a frenzy. Sans Quade Cooper, the other two of Australian rugby's so-called 'Three Amigos' watched their then-club side Melbourne Rebels lose to the British and Irish Lions' mid-week outfit 35-0 in Melbourne before heading to a post-match function. Rugby Australia accepted the pair's explanation that they had not been drinking and opted to take no disciplinary action Beale and O'Connor, who helped the Wallabies level the series four days later with a 16-15 victory over the Lions. "We were just hungry," Beale told AAP this week while reflecting on the "error in judgement". "We went in there and got a feed, and then we were heading back to the hotel. And then these guys took the photo and they put it in the paper. "I thought we were doing a good thing, saying 'G'day'. These lads were full of alcohol and sent it into the paper. And here we are. "I mean, looking at it now, I don't really see anything of it really." Nor did Beale's teammates. "I was vice-captain at the time and I didn't think about it as being a big deal," halfback Will Genia told AAP. "They just had Burger King on a Tuesday night and we had Wednesday off. "The biggest thing was probably that they were out late. If they were going to be up late, they probably would have been better off being in their rooms. "But at the end of the day, I thought that was blown out of proportion. "Those sorts of things happen. Like players are in their room til three o'clock in the morning playing PlayStation or whatever the games are called these days. "What that does go to show, though, is the level of scrutiny and the level of attention that is on these tours is a different level. "And that's what I loved about it. That's what I really enjoyed about it. I love that it was this massive event." Looking back, Beale shrugs off the episode as "another embarrassing moment where it probably got taken out of perspective a bit". "We didn't really know any better," he said. "We still turned up the next day, rocked up, still trained, did our job for the team."But understanding now how that could have a negative impact on the team and the look, we could probably look back and regret that decision."But there was no intention to go out. It was the time when social media was starting to get out."It's one that you just look back on and just got to understand the power of social media. "With phones, people have got a camera everywhere. It's crazy." More than a decade on, Beale's missed late penalty kick when he had the chance to boot Australia to victory in the first Test three days earlier remains the more regrettable slip-up for he and Genia. "The pitch was a bit soggy and I wasn't wearing studs that day either. I was wearing moulds, which is probably the biggest learning curve I've taken," recalls Beale, who still "looks away" whenever footage of the slip is shown. While he doesn't blame Beale, Genia maintains that missed shot at goal and a loose kick from Berrick Barnes that allowed George North to score in the Lions' 23-21 win ultimately proved the turning point of the series. "The reason I can say we we lost the series is we should have won the first Test," Genia said. "We won the second but it took a lot out of us emotionally to come back and win that, and then we were probably a bit flat. We couldn't recover emotionally." It remains etched forever in Lions series folklore but 2013 Wallabies teammates reckon Kurtley Beale and James O'Connor's infamous early-morning burger bust was "blown out of proportion".Beale and O'Connor being captured at 3.50am at a fast food outlet between the first and second Tests of the previous series in Australia, 12 years ago, sent Fleet Street into a frenzy. Sans Quade Cooper, the other two of Australian rugby's so-called 'Three Amigos' watched their then-club side Melbourne Rebels lose to the British and Irish Lions' mid-week outfit 35-0 in Melbourne before heading to a post-match function. Rugby Australia accepted the pair's explanation that they had not been drinking and opted to take no disciplinary action Beale and O'Connor, who helped the Wallabies level the series four days later with a 16-15 victory over the Lions. "We were just hungry," Beale told AAP this week while reflecting on the "error in judgement". "We went in there and got a feed, and then we were heading back to the hotel. And then these guys took the photo and they put it in the paper. "I thought we were doing a good thing, saying 'G'day'. These lads were full of alcohol and sent it into the paper. And here we are. "I mean, looking at it now, I don't really see anything of it really." Nor did Beale's teammates. "I was vice-captain at the time and I didn't think about it as being a big deal," halfback Will Genia told AAP. "They just had Burger King on a Tuesday night and we had Wednesday off. "The biggest thing was probably that they were out late. If they were going to be up late, they probably would have been better off being in their rooms. "But at the end of the day, I thought that was blown out of proportion. "Those sorts of things happen. Like players are in their room til three o'clock in the morning playing PlayStation or whatever the games are called these days. "What that does go to show, though, is the level of scrutiny and the level of attention that is on these tours is a different level. "And that's what I loved about it. That's what I really enjoyed about it. I love that it was this massive event." Looking back, Beale shrugs off the episode as "another embarrassing moment where it probably got taken out of perspective a bit". "We didn't really know any better," he said. "We still turned up the next day, rocked up, still trained, did our job for the team."But understanding now how that could have a negative impact on the team and the look, we could probably look back and regret that decision."But there was no intention to go out. It was the time when social media was starting to get out."It's one that you just look back on and just got to understand the power of social media. "With phones, people have got a camera everywhere. It's crazy." More than a decade on, Beale's missed late penalty kick when he had the chance to boot Australia to victory in the first Test three days earlier remains the more regrettable slip-up for he and Genia. "The pitch was a bit soggy and I wasn't wearing studs that day either. I was wearing moulds, which is probably the biggest learning curve I've taken," recalls Beale, who still "looks away" whenever footage of the slip is shown. While he doesn't blame Beale, Genia maintains that missed shot at goal and a loose kick from Berrick Barnes that allowed George North to score in the Lions' 23-21 win ultimately proved the turning point of the series. "The reason I can say we we lost the series is we should have won the first Test," Genia said. "We won the second but it took a lot out of us emotionally to come back and win that, and then we were probably a bit flat. We couldn't recover emotionally."