As of 2021, WWE employs over 800 full-time employees to handle its business operations, as well as contract with various vendors and service providers. Our. The Newcastle United owner's Sports Direct group has bought luxury chain Cruise and high street outlet USC. He primarily made his money by buying brands; Donnay being the first major brands to be acquired by him. The latest addition to Ashley’s sprawling high street empire is  Jack Wills  , which he purchased this week for £12.75million after it went into administration. House of Fraser billionaire Mike Ashley is considering making a bid for Jaeger to bolster his growing stable of brands. Sports Direct International plc, owned by Mike Ashley, operates roughly 670 stores across the globe and is the largest sports-goods retailer in the UK. Transfers. Authentic Brands is plotting a double takeover of collapsed department store chain Debenhams and Topshop-owner Arcadia Group, The Daily Telegraph newspaper reported on Saturday, citing sources. [11], Ashley has made his money by buying brands. ... Mike Ashley buys stake in luxury fashion brand Mulberry. In a slight departure from his traditional areas of department stores and sports retailers, Ashley picked up lingerie business Agent Provocateur after it fell into administration back in 2017, for a fee believed to be around £25m. That is what I am now trying to do. Premier League. [60], In August 2020, Ashley's Fraser Group purchased assets from the gym and fitness chain DW Sports, in a deal worth up to £44 million. The next day, Ashley apologised to Newcastle fans for the mistakes made throughout the season, but nonetheless praised all staff, including Shearer and Kinnear, for all their efforts throughout the season. MIKE Ashley will today take control of two high street clothing firms in a £7m move. He is also the owner of Newcastle United football club having bought it for £135 million in 2007. Through Sports Direct Ashley has picked up a host of well-known sports brands, including the likes of Slazenger , Karrimor , Lonsdale , Kangol and Everlast . Ashley subsequently "received words of advice" from the police during the game. Mike Ashley’s Frasers warns Budget risks causing more store closures. Mike Ashley brands claims he offered investment banker £15m 'nonsense' The former Rangers shareholder also denied in a witness statement to the High Court in London that he held Sports Direct senior management meetings in a pub - but added … The company was founded by Mike Ashley in 1982 as a single store in Maidenhead trading under the name of "Mike Ashley Sports". [40] A Newcastle statement confirmed, "Mike Ashley is totally committed to the future success of Newcastle United and will be focused on gaining promotion back to the Premier League. Ashley even said that with hindsight “we might have made a different decision” over the purchase. On 28 December, Ashley announced that the club was no longer up for sale, after he had failed to find an acceptable buyer. [51], Ten months later, and with the departure of McClaren and the arrival of Rafael Benítez, Ashley gave another interview. [52] On 11 May 2016, Newcastle United were relegated for the second time under the ownership of Ashley, after local rivals Sunderland beat Everton 3–0. On 23 May 2007, in a surprise move, Ashley bought Sir John Hall's 41.6% stake in Newcastle United at one pound per share, for a total cost of £55,342,223[24] via his company St James Holdings Ltd. There'll probably be a few surprises on the list. Photos and Property Details for 901 CHELTENHAM AVE, WH # 2144, FRANKLIN, TN 37064. He stated that he would sell up, but only when the club had won a trophy, quickly reiterating that qualifying for the Champions League would also count. [21], In March 2020, Ashley and Sports Direct came under heavy criticism after an announcement that they would stay open despite increased government restrictions associated with the COVID-19 outbreak. He fought off interest from  ScS  to land the deal, with Sofa.com having ended up in the hands of its creditors last year. Shearer however was unable to achieve more than 5 points from the 8 games he was in charge, and on 24 May, the Magpies were relegated to the Championship. [33] This led to prolonged protests by fans directed chiefly against Ashley and Wise, being dubbed the "Cockney Mafia." [53], As of October 2014, Ashley owned an 8.92% stake in Rangers International Football Club (RIFC), the parent company of Scottish football club Rangers. [31], As the transfer window closed at midnight on 2 September, rumours started to appear in the press stating that Keegan was extremely unhappy with Director of Football Dennis Wise's interference in team matters. But after injury, he became a county-level squash coach. Sports Direct boss Mike Ashley arrives at the High Court today / Victoria Jones/PA . Mike Ashley buys stake in luxury fashion brand Mulberry. However, after the departure of Kevin Keegan as manager and the club's relegation, he has only made low key appearances when attending Newcastle matches. It’s a boast reflective of the Sports Direct founder’s famously bold approach to business. In 1982, Ashley opened his first sport and ski shop in Maidenhead followed by others in and around London, starting with a £10,000 loan from his family (or £31,500 in 2014 inflation-adjusted terms). [30], On 30 August 2008, Ashley was shown on live television drinking beer while with fans in the away stand during Newcastle's game against Arsenal in London, contravening Premier League licensing rules stating that alcohol may not be consumed in sight of the pitch. Lee Charnley was quietly announced as his successor in 2014. Mike Ashley’s retail empire has increased its stake in Mulberry to own more than a third of the luxury handbag maker in a move worth more than £6m.. Frasers Group, which runs Sports Direct and House of Fraser, said it has bought 4.3m shares at 150p each to increase its ownership of the Somerset-based company to 36.8%.. Ashley is not only interested in retailing – sports are clearly his passion. [20] Neither Ashley nor his representatives showed interest in taking part in the film, declaring that the film was producing a majority of inaccuracies. Mike Ashley' and bosses at fashion retail chain TK Maxx have reached a settlement after becoming embroiled in a High Court row over a business name. [54] The Scottish Football Association has rejected Ashley's request to raise his shareholding in RIFC to 29.9%, due to the fact he already owns a large amount of Newcastle United shares, which was seen as a conflict of interest. Ashley has said in past he sees it as his mission to "save the struggling British high street". Sports Direct has won the bidding war for Jack Wills, adding yet another brand to Mike Ashley's high street empire (Image: PA). On 6 December, Newcastle United sacked manager Chris Hughton, in a controversial move that proved to be unpopular with many fans of the club,[44] and led to Ashley being personally criticised for the decision. He also buys where he sees opportunities, and this is the case with GAME. You want me out. On 31 January 2010, the BBC North East and Cumbria produced a 30-minute documentary detailing Mike Ashley's business successes and lows. "[40] The move to withdraw the sale proved questionable among many as he had stated little more than a week before that he regretted the purchase of the club and felt he never had the required stance and knowledge to own a football club. Sports Direct boss Mike Ashley hit the headlines again this week for all the wrong reasons. Through Sports Direct Ashley has picked up a host of well-known sports brands, including the likes of Slazenger, Karrimor, Lonsdale, Kangol and Everlast. [63], In 1988 aged 24, he married Linda Jerlmyr, a Swedish-born economics graduate, and the couple have three children. [14][15], Ashley has a 29.4% stake in Blacks Leisure Group, the owner of Millets and Mambo,[16] and is thought to hold stakes in JJB Sports and 19% of JD Sports. In 1984, Preston Sports shop was opened in London and by 1992 the company had 12 stores. Ashley has bought Agent Provocateur for around £30m through Four Holdings, the parent company of Four Marketing, a fashion agency which runs websites for luxury brands … "[35] He also stated that while he had the utmost respect for Keegan, he no longer wanted to subsidise the club due to believing it would not be safe for him or his family to attend matches in future. The department store  House of Fraser  was picked up in August last year by Sports Direct for £90million, again picking up a well-known brand that had fallen into administration. A Newcastle United statement declared that Ashley had been given the beer and told that it was non-alcoholic despite the fact that Arsenal do not sell non-alcoholic beer at their stadium. [24] On 31 May, it was reported that the Newcastle board were considering Ashley's offer. According to The Sunday Times Rich List in 2019, Ashley is worth £1.976 billion, a decrease of £461 million from the previous year.[6]. : 'Shy and quiet' company stalwart who rose through the ranks", "Mike Ashley says he will not sell Newcastle United until he has won trophy", "Mike Ashley 'regrets' buying Newcastle but remains 'wedded' to club", "Sunderland safe after Lamine Koné double sinks crumbling Everton", "Newcastle owner Mike Ashley takes Rangers stake to almost 9%", "SFA rejects Mike Ashley's Rangers stake increase request", "Rangers: Fans protest against board at Ibrox Stadium", "Rangers: Mike Ashley seeks security over Ibrox for £10m loan", "Newcastle owner Mike Ashley sells entire Rangers shareholding", "Mike Ashley bounces back with £52m bid for Game Digital", "Mike Ashley bags another prize asset in Mulberry", "Mike Ashley's Frasers Group buys fitness chain DW Sports", "Mike Ashley buys long-time rival's sports business", "How Mike Ashley became the new emperor of the high street", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Mike_Ashley_(businessman)&oldid=1011527785, Newcastle United F.C. In 2006, it overtook JJB Sports as the UK's largest sportswear retailer. This caused fierce local rivals Sunderland to publicly refuse to give Ashley permission to wear it in the Stadium of Light corporate box for the Tyne–Wear derby on 10 November. foot unit in Dunstable. Ashley maintains a 61 per cent stake. [37], In January 2009, it was reported that interim manager Joe Kinnear had been offered a full-time position at the club by Ashley. [57], On 23 June 2017 Ashley sold his entire Rangers shareholding to Club 1872 and Julian Wolhardt. The tycoon has bought the shops from Scottish retail entrepreneur Sir Tom Hunter who will keep a … Mike Ashley has bought a 12.5% stake in the luxury British handbag company Mulberry as he seeks to push his retail empire upmarket. ", "Rich List 2019: profiles 53-100, featuring Mike Ashley and Bernie Ecclestone", "Mike Ashley, the maverick who changed face of UK sports retail", "Sports World International sales climb 45pc and knock JJB off top spot", "The Times – UK News, World News and Opinion", "MPDClick: Kangol sold to sports empire (UK)". [56] Some Rangers supporter groups have heavily criticised Ashley and expressed major concern and distrust about his nature and purpose of his intentions. Journalist Chris Jackson travelled to Thailand to visit the factories in which Ashley's material for his brand of Lonsdale is made. [65], Ashley is protective of his private life. Tellingly, Mr. Brick-and-Mortar himself, Mike Ashley, was nowhere to be seen on Monday when the online giants were doing their deals. [48][49], On the final day of the 2014–15 season, Ashley gave his first televised interview to Sky Sports, eight years after buying the club. Mike Ashley brands claim he struck £15m deal in pub as ‘nonsense’ UK News Published: Jul 5, 2017 Sports Direct owner says he can’t remember what was said on night out. It was founded back in 1982, and listed on the stock market in 2007. Market Report: Sports World owner grabs stake in John David, "Personal finance – How to grow your wealth and spend less money", "Mike Ashley wins high court battle over '£15m pub deal, "Sports Direct U-turns on opening after backlash", "Billionaire Ashley launches Newcastle takeover", "Premier League side Newcastle re-appoint Kevin Keegan as their new manager", "Premier League – Magpies warned after Keegan exit", "Newcastle United ordered to pay Kevin Keegan £2 million in damages", "Boss Chris Hughton sacked by Newcastle United", "Chris Hughton not treated 'decently' by Mike Ashley – Lord Alan Sugar", "Derek Llambias resigns as managing director of Newcastle United", "Lee Charnley Appointed Managing Director", "Who is Lee Charnley?