| Sports Direct 00:01 - Mar 24 with 177 views | BringBackTheRedRoom |
Sports Direct says it will stay open
UK sports retailer Sports Direct says it will stay open despite the guidance announced by the government.
Its rationale was set out by finance chief Chris Wootton in an email sent to the Press Association news agency: "We stock a huge range of sports equipment designed for exercising at home... indeed home fitness is the number one trending topic on social media after coronavirus itself.
"Against the backdrop of the closure of gyms the demand for these types of products has increased exponentially as the population looks to maintain a healthy lifestyle.
"Consequently, we are uniquely well placed to help keep the UK as fit and healthy as possible during this crisis and thus our Sports Direct and Evans Cycles stores will remain open where possible to allow us to do this (in accordance with the Government's current social distancing guidance)."
Has Mike Ashley never heard of online sales? |  |
| ‘Where there is harmony, may we bring discord. Where there is truth, may we bring error. Where there is faith, may we bring doubt. And where there is hope, may we bring despair’ |
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| Sports Direct on 00:13 - Mar 24 with 173 views | Lala |
This guy’s a total whopper.
It’s not essential shopping and nobody will be allowed to visit his stores. No surprise he’s one to put his own gain ahead of the safety of the nation. |  |
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| Sports Direct on 08:24 - Mar 24 with 157 views | BringBackTheRedRoom |
| Sports Direct on 00:13 - Mar 24 by Lala |
This guy’s a total whopper.
It’s not essential shopping and nobody will be allowed to visit his stores. No surprise he’s one to put his own gain ahead of the safety of the nation. |
Sports Direct U-turns on opening after backlash
Sports Direct has performed a U-turn on keeping its shops open during the coronavirus lockdown following a backlash over its plans.
The government has ordered all UK shops selling non-essential goods to close.
Sports Direct initially said it would remain open as it was "uniquely well placed to help keep the UK as fit and healthy as possible".
But after widespread criticism, it now says it will not open "until we are given the go-ahead by the government".
It had argued that it provided an essential service. Bosses at the company said the sports equipment it sells can be used to exercise at home at a time when gyms have been closed.
In a letter written by Frasers Group, which owns Sports Direct and Evans Cycles, finance chief Chris Wootton had said: "Thus our Sports Direct and Evans Cycles stores will remain open where possible to allow us to do this (in accordance with the government's current social distancing guidance)."
"There is no one else that has the range of product and range of stores to make this reasonably accessible for the whole population."
Bicycle shops are on the list of retailers that are allowed to stay open during the shutdown.
The move had been questioned by Paddy Lillis, general secretary of the trade union Usdaw, which represents shop workers in the UK.
He told the BBC's Today programme: "I can't see how it [Sports Direct] is an essential service. It's a sports clothing company.
"In my mind, an essential service would include food and medicine and the supply chain around that," as well as the National Health Service, he said.
Sports Direct's decision to stay open despite the new government restrictions also saw a backlash on social media.
Ian Lavery MP, chair of the Labour Party, told the company's founder Mike Ashley to "take some responsibility".
Which retailers will close?
A number of High Street retailers and food chains, such as Ikea, John Lewis and Next, had already shut prior to Mr Johnson's announcement on Monday evening, leaving tens of thousands of people temporarily without work.
Others such as WH Smith and B&Q had previously vowed to stay open while adhering to stricter social distancing policies.
Mr Johnson said: "I know the damage that this disruption is doing and will do to people's lives, to their businesses and to their jobs.
"And that's why we have produced a huge and unprecedented programme of support both for workers and for business."
Retailers that will be allowed to stay open include:
Supermarkets and other food shops
Pharmacies
Petrol stations
Newsagents
Bicycle shops
Home and hardware stores
Laundrettes and dry cleaners
Garages
Pet shops
Post Offices
Banks
Businesses will still be able to take online orders and deliver items to people's homes.
The government this week said it would pay the wages of employees unable to work due to the coronavirus pandemic, in a move aimed at protecting people's jobs.
It will pay 80% of salary for staff who are kept on by their employer, covering wages of up to £2,500 a month.
Many retail and hospitality firms have warned the pandemic could see them collapse, wiping out thousands of jobs, as life in the UK is put on hold.
Helen Dickinson, chief executive of retail lobby group the British Retail Consortium, said many shops had already closed temporarily.
"Others have continued to provide essential products and services to their customers, both from physical stores and online.
"Any retailers that remain open will be following the very latest government public health guidance to ensure they do everything they can to ensure the safety of customers and staff."
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-52011915 | |
| ‘Where there is harmony, may we bring discord. Where there is truth, may we bring error. Where there is faith, may we bring doubt. And where there is hope, may we bring despair’ |
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| Sports Direct on 09:06 - Mar 24 with 151 views | spudgun |
| Sports Direct on 08:24 - Mar 24 by BringBackTheRedRoom |
Sports Direct U-turns on opening after backlash
Sports Direct has performed a U-turn on keeping its shops open during the coronavirus lockdown following a backlash over its plans.
The government has ordered all UK shops selling non-essential goods to close.
Sports Direct initially said it would remain open as it was "uniquely well placed to help keep the UK as fit and healthy as possible".
But after widespread criticism, it now says it will not open "until we are given the go-ahead by the government".
It had argued that it provided an essential service. Bosses at the company said the sports equipment it sells can be used to exercise at home at a time when gyms have been closed.
In a letter written by Frasers Group, which owns Sports Direct and Evans Cycles, finance chief Chris Wootton had said: "Thus our Sports Direct and Evans Cycles stores will remain open where possible to allow us to do this (in accordance with the government's current social distancing guidance)."
"There is no one else that has the range of product and range of stores to make this reasonably accessible for the whole population."
Bicycle shops are on the list of retailers that are allowed to stay open during the shutdown.
The move had been questioned by Paddy Lillis, general secretary of the trade union Usdaw, which represents shop workers in the UK.
He told the BBC's Today programme: "I can't see how it [Sports Direct] is an essential service. It's a sports clothing company.
"In my mind, an essential service would include food and medicine and the supply chain around that," as well as the National Health Service, he said.
Sports Direct's decision to stay open despite the new government restrictions also saw a backlash on social media.
Ian Lavery MP, chair of the Labour Party, told the company's founder Mike Ashley to "take some responsibility".
Which retailers will close?
A number of High Street retailers and food chains, such as Ikea, John Lewis and Next, had already shut prior to Mr Johnson's announcement on Monday evening, leaving tens of thousands of people temporarily without work.
Others such as WH Smith and B&Q had previously vowed to stay open while adhering to stricter social distancing policies.
Mr Johnson said: "I know the damage that this disruption is doing and will do to people's lives, to their businesses and to their jobs.
"And that's why we have produced a huge and unprecedented programme of support both for workers and for business."
Retailers that will be allowed to stay open include:
Supermarkets and other food shops
Pharmacies
Petrol stations
Newsagents
Bicycle shops
Home and hardware stores
Laundrettes and dry cleaners
Garages
Pet shops
Post Offices
Banks
Businesses will still be able to take online orders and deliver items to people's homes.
The government this week said it would pay the wages of employees unable to work due to the coronavirus pandemic, in a move aimed at protecting people's jobs.
It will pay 80% of salary for staff who are kept on by their employer, covering wages of up to £2,500 a month.
Many retail and hospitality firms have warned the pandemic could see them collapse, wiping out thousands of jobs, as life in the UK is put on hold.
Helen Dickinson, chief executive of retail lobby group the British Retail Consortium, said many shops had already closed temporarily.
"Others have continued to provide essential products and services to their customers, both from physical stores and online.
"Any retailers that remain open will be following the very latest government public health guidance to ensure they do everything they can to ensure the safety of customers and staff."
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-52011915 |
Don`t worry, Ashley`s name is in `the book` come the day of reckoning...  |  | | |
| Sports Direct on 10:23 - Mar 24 with 147 views | basilrobbiereborn |
| Sports Direct on 09:06 - Mar 24 by spudgun |
Don`t worry, Ashley`s name is in `the book` come the day of reckoning... |
Alongside Branson and Martin, I hope. | |
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| Sports Direct on 11:07 - Mar 24 with 139 views | spudgun |
| Sports Direct on 10:23 - Mar 24 by basilrobbiereborn |
Alongside Branson and Martin, I hope. |
I have a separate book for Branson, and not just for financial misdemeanours... | | | |
| Sports Direct on 12:02 - Mar 24 with 130 views | spell_chekker |
| Sports Direct on 11:07 - Mar 24 by spudgun |
I have a separate book for Branson, and not just for financial misdemeanours... |
It seems as though Sports Direct are closing because they're bein,g forced to.
I like this £2,500 monthly ceiling that a government sees a a reasonable wage. I reckon it could be used as a barometre, for salaries and taxes etc, when society starts getting back to normal. |  |
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| Sports Direct on 13:21 - Mar 24 with 124 views | BringBackTheRedRoom |
| Sports Direct on 12:02 - Mar 24 by spell_chekker |
It seems as though Sports Direct are closing because they're bein,g forced to.
I like this £2,500 monthly ceiling that a government sees a a reasonable wage. I reckon it could be used as a barometre, for salaries and taxes etc, when society starts getting back to normal. |
Funny you should mention Tim Martin.....
The boss of the Wetherspoon pub chain has said its staff can take jobs with supermarkets amid the uncertainty caused by the coronavirus pandemic.
Tim Martin told 40,000 workers in a video that they should feel free to take jobs at retailers such as Tesco while Wetherspoon pubs remain closed.
He said: “If you’re offered a job… if you think it’s a good idea, do it.”
The government has said it will pay 80% of salary for workers at firms such as Wetherspoon affected by Covid-19.
In the video, he called the government proposals “great, because we currently have no money coming in through the tills. That’s not something we had ever planned for.”
All of Wetherspoon's 850 UK pubs were closed over the weekend after the government introduced new measures to try to stop the spread of Covid-19.
However, Mr Martin cited concerns that there could be some delay to the payment of any wage subsidy.
In the video, he said he would therefore “completely understand” if workers did not want “to wait around”.
He added that any former workers for the pub chain would receive first priority on future applications to rejoin the company.
Mr Martin said that “almost all of our trade has now gone to supermarkets”, as demand for food surges as a result of the coronavirus crisis.
“We’ve had lots of calls from supermarkets, Tesco alone want to recruit more than 20,000 people - more than half the number of people who work at our pubs,” he added.
Mr Martin was previously resistant to government advice to consumers on avoiding pubs before more formal measures on closures were introduced.
Last week, he branded a shutdown in the face of coronavirus "over the top".
Many major supermarkets have been recruiting thousands of staff to cope with the huge surge in demand from shoppers.
Tesco, the UK’s biggest supermarket, said it wanted to take on 20,000 temporary workers to “help feed the nation”.
Other firms that have launched a recruitment drive in recent weeks include Aldi, which is creating 5,000 new temporary posts, Lidl with 2,500 temporary posts, and Morrisons, which is creating 3,500 new jobs including pickers, drivers and staff for its distribution centres.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-52018360 | |
| ‘Where there is harmony, may we bring discord. Where there is truth, may we bring error. Where there is faith, may we bring doubt. And where there is hope, may we bring despair’ |
| |
| Sports Direct on 08:30 - Mar 25 with 99 views | Lala |
| Sports Direct on 13:21 - Mar 24 by BringBackTheRedRoom |
Funny you should mention Tim Martin.....
The boss of the Wetherspoon pub chain has said its staff can take jobs with supermarkets amid the uncertainty caused by the coronavirus pandemic.
Tim Martin told 40,000 workers in a video that they should feel free to take jobs at retailers such as Tesco while Wetherspoon pubs remain closed.
He said: “If you’re offered a job… if you think it’s a good idea, do it.”
The government has said it will pay 80% of salary for workers at firms such as Wetherspoon affected by Covid-19.
In the video, he called the government proposals “great, because we currently have no money coming in through the tills. That’s not something we had ever planned for.”
All of Wetherspoon's 850 UK pubs were closed over the weekend after the government introduced new measures to try to stop the spread of Covid-19.
However, Mr Martin cited concerns that there could be some delay to the payment of any wage subsidy.
In the video, he said he would therefore “completely understand” if workers did not want “to wait around”.
He added that any former workers for the pub chain would receive first priority on future applications to rejoin the company.
Mr Martin said that “almost all of our trade has now gone to supermarkets”, as demand for food surges as a result of the coronavirus crisis.
“We’ve had lots of calls from supermarkets, Tesco alone want to recruit more than 20,000 people - more than half the number of people who work at our pubs,” he added.
Mr Martin was previously resistant to government advice to consumers on avoiding pubs before more formal measures on closures were introduced.
Last week, he branded a shutdown in the face of coronavirus "over the top".
Many major supermarkets have been recruiting thousands of staff to cope with the huge surge in demand from shoppers.
Tesco, the UK’s biggest supermarket, said it wanted to take on 20,000 temporary workers to “help feed the nation”.
Other firms that have launched a recruitment drive in recent weeks include Aldi, which is creating 5,000 new temporary posts, Lidl with 2,500 temporary posts, and Morrisons, which is creating 3,500 new jobs including pickers, drivers and staff for its distribution centres.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-52018360 |
Price hiking too in a national emergency,
I will never ever ever enter Sports Direct again. The man is a total disgrace. | |
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| Sports Direct on 08:39 - Mar 25 with 95 views | spudgun |
| Sports Direct on 08:30 - Mar 25 by Lala |
Price hiking too in a national emergency,
I will never ever ever enter Sports Direct again. The man is a total disgrace. |
Yep, beyond contemptible.
Looks like a dinosaur as the world pivots to a new sensibility (hopefully)... | | | |
| Sports Direct on 11:57 - Mar 25 with 90 views | spell_chekker |
| Sports Direct on 08:39 - Mar 25 by spudgun |
Yep, beyond contemptible.
Looks like a dinosaur as the world pivots to a new sensibility (hopefully)... |
I've never shopped there.
There are plenty of other sports' shops to go to. | |
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