SportsDirect.com
| 250px | |
| Subsidiary | |
| Industry | Retailer |
| Founded | 1982 |
| Headquarters | Shirebrook United Kingdom |
|
Key people
|
Mike Ashley, Founder and Deputy Executive chairman |
| Products | Sports equipment and apparel |
| Owner | Sports Direct International |
| Website | www.sportsdirect.com |
SportsDirect.com is a British sporting goods retailer, the primary retail asset of Sports Direct International plc. The company was formerly known as Sports Soccer and Sports World, but since 2007 branches of the chain have been rebranded as SportsDirect.com, the domain name of its online presence.[1]
Founded in the late 1970s by former county squash coach Mike Ashley, the group Sports Direct International is now the UK's largest retailer of sports clothing and accessories.
Their sales usually consist of 90% and 80% off. This began in late 2004 when the company began to introduce 30%, 50% and 70% discounts off many of their own brand items (brands like Donnay and Dunlop which make up the vast majority of the stock in their stores). They have now, however, introduced the promotion to the bigger brands, such as Adidas, Nike and Reebok.
It was confirmed on 4 November 2009 that sportsdirect.com @ St James' Park would be the new name for St James' Park, home of the Premier League side Newcastle United.[2]
On 9 November 2011 Newcastle United released a statement informing the fans that the stadium would be undergoing a name change to the Sports Direct Arena. The announcement was hugely unpopular amongst the club's fans.
During 2012, the company launched a sports news website, entitled "SportsDirect News."
On 29 May 2013 it was announced that Sports Direct had agreed a €40.5m (£34.6m) deal for a 51% stake in EAG, a leading Austrian sports chain. It was also announced that they had acquired a 60% stake in Sportland International Group, the biggest sports retailer in the Baltic region. Chief executive Dave Forsey commented that these investments "represent a continuation of our previously stated European expansion plans".[3]
