Can the “power drinker” of British business rescue the high street?

THE BILLIONAIRE retailer never courts publicity. But when Mike Ashley does open up, the results are colourful. Giving evidence in a court case in 2017 he boasted of his binge drinking, although he did dispute one account that had him vomiting into a fireplace after 12 pints of beer and chasers. Hauled before a House of Commons select committee to explain allegations of sweatshop conditions at his company’s warehouse, Mr Ashley confessed that he had lost control of Sports Direct. The eminently sober Institute of Directors has called the firm’s actions a “scar on British business”.

Yet Mr Ashley is now seen by some as the saviour of the high street. Bricks-and-mortar retailers have been devastated recently; the country’s main shopping streets suffered a net loss of 1,123 stores in the first half of last year, and expect this year to be worse. But Mr Ashley has been picking over the carrion, snapping up the famous names slain by online shopping.