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Mike Ashley (businessman)
Michael James Wallace Ashley (born 9 September 1964) is a British retail entrepreneur who is the founder and former chief executive of Frasers Group plc (formerly Sports Direct International). He owned Newcastle United F.C., Newcastle United Football Club between 2007 and 2021. According to the ''Sunday Times Rich List'' in 2025, Ashley was the 52nd richest person in the UK with an estimated net worth of £3.12 billion. In August 2021, Ashley announced that he intended to step down as chief executive of Frasers Group in May 2022, but would remain a director of the main board. Early life Ashley was born in Walsall in the West Midlands (county), West Midlands in 1964 and grew up in Burnham, Buckinghamshire, Burnham. His father was a manager at a food distribution depot. Ashley was educated at Burnham Grammar School in Burnham, Buckinghamshire and left school at 16 to become a county-level squash player. After an injury, he worked as a county-level squash coach. Career In 1982, at ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Walsall
Walsall (, or ; locally ) is a market town and administrative centre of the Metropolitan Borough of Walsall, in the West Midlands (county), West Midlands, England. Historic counties of England, Historically part of Staffordshire, it is located north-west of Birmingham, east of Wolverhampton and south-west of Lichfield. Walsall was transferred from Staffordshire to the newly created West Midlands county in 1974. At the United Kingdom 2011 census, 2011 census, the town's built-up area had a population of 67,594, with the wider borough having a List of English districts by population, population of 269,323. Neighbouring settlements in the borough include Darlaston, Brownhills, Pelsall, Willenhall, Bloxwich and Aldridge. History Early settlement The name ''Walsall'' is derived from "Walhaz, Walh halh", meaning "valley of the Welsh", referring to the Celtic Britons, British who first lived in the area. Later, it is believed that a manor was held here by William Fitz-Anscu ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Limited Liability
Limited liability is a legal status in which a person's financial Legal liability, liability is limited to a fixed sum, most commonly the value of a person's investment in a corporation, company, or joint venture. If a company that provides limited liability to its investors is sued, then the claimants are generally entitled to collect only against the assets of the company, not the assets of its shareholders or other investors. A shareholder in a corporation or Limited company, limited liability company is not personally liable for any of the debts of the company, other than for the amount already invested in the company and for any unpaid amount on the shares in the company, if any—except under special and rare circumstances that permit "piercing the corporate veil." The same is true for the members of a limited liability partnership and the limited partners in a limited partnership. By contrast, sole proprietors and partners in general partnerships are each liable for all the ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
JJB Sports
JJB Sports plc was a British sports retailer. On 24 September 2012, shares in JJB Sports were suspended, and the firm called in administrators. On 1 October 2012, it was announced that Sports Direct had purchased part of the business, including 20 stores, the brand, and its website for £28.3 million. Corporate history The original JJB sportshop was founded in the beginning of the 1900s. It was expanded and incorporated in 1971, when ex footballer and supermarket chain operator Dave Whelan acquired a single sports shop in Wigan, and immediately opened a second sports goods outlet in his supermarket in Sutton, St Helens. The original JJB sports store was established by John Jarvis Broughton in the beginning of the 1900s, and later was purchased by John Bradburn in1948. As the business was known locally as JJB's, Bradburn retained the name, as did Whelan when he bought the shop from Bradburn. During the beginning of the 1990s, the store portfolio grew to stores totalling ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Millets
Millets () are a highly varied group of small-seeded grasses, widely grown around the world as cereal crops or grains for fodder and human food. Most millets belong to the tribe Paniceae. Millets are important crops in the semiarid tropics of Asia and Africa, especially in India, Mali, Nigeria, and Niger, with 97% of production in developing countries. The crop is favoured for its productivity and short growing season under hot dry conditions. The millets are sometimes understood to include the widely cultivated sorghum; apart from that, pearl millet is the most commonly cultivated of the millets. Finger millet, proso millet, and foxtail millet are other important crop species. Millets may have been consumed by humans for about 7,000 years and potentially had "a pivotal role in the rise of multi-crop agriculture and settled farming societies". Etymology The word ''millet'' is derived via Old French ''millet, millot'' from -4; we might wonder whether there's a point at whi ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Blacks Leisure Group
Blacks Outdoor Retail Ltd. is a British retailer, headquartered in Bury, Greater Manchester the United Kingdom which owns the British outdoor retailers Blacks, Millets and Ultimate Outdoors. Blacks is the largest outdoor retailer in the United Kingdom, UK with stores nationwide. The company entered Administration (law), administration in 2012 and is now owned by JD Sports, JD Sports Fashion plc. JD made a cash offer of £20 million for the majority of the retailer's 300 UK stores and said it will retain the majority of Blacks' 3,500 staff. Since the acquisition by JD Sports, Blacks head offices have been relocated to JD's head offices in Bury, Greater Manchester, Bury. History In 1931, Blacks of Greenock published the first ''Good Companions'' catalogue. In the Second World War, Blacks made tents for the Army and Navy and made Fender (boating), fenders for boats on D-Day. During the early part of the war, the workshops in Greenock were destroyed by a parachute mine on 8 May 19 ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Matalan
Matalan Retail Ltd is a British clothing and homewares retailer based in Knowsley, Merseyside, founded by John Hargreaves in 1985. In August 1988, its operations director at the time, Duncan Sullivan, transformed Matalan into an out-of-town warehouse-style, membership-only cash-and-carry business, inspired by Sam's Club in the United States. The membership-only model was phased out by March 1998. Matalan's turnover grew from £26m in 1992 to £800m in 1998, with over seven million customers and a £1bn valuation on the London Stock Exchange. As of June 2024, the retailer has 230 locations domestically, as well as a number of franchise outlets in the Middle East. The retailer is a wholly owned subsidiary of Missouri Topco Limited, a holding company which is based in Guernsey, and is controlled by the Hargreaves family. History In 1985, John Hargreaves opened the first Matalan store at Bamber Bridge, near Preston, Lancashire. There were fifty stores by 1995, and in 1997, th ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Umbro
Umbro is an English sports equipment manufacturer founded in 1924 in Wilmslow, Cheshire, and based in Manchester. They specialise in football and rugby sportswear featuring their ''Double Diamond'' logo. Umbro products are sold in over 100 countries.Umbro at Iconix Brand website . Retrieved 11 February 2013 The business was started by brothers Harold and Wallace Humphreys. The name is a of ''um'', from Humphreys, and ''bro'' from brothers. Since 2012, the marque is a subsidiary of American brand management company Iconix Brand Group. History |
Equity (finance)
In finance, equity is an ownership interest in property that may be subject to debts or other liabilities. Equity is measured for accounting purposes by subtracting liabilities from the value of the assets owned. For example, if someone owns a car worth $24,000 and owes $10,000 on the loan used to buy the car, the difference of $14,000 is equity. Equity can apply to a single asset, such as a car or house, or to an entire business. A business that needs to start up or expand its operations can sell its equity in order to raise cash that does not have to be repaid on a set schedule. When liabilities attached to an asset exceed its value, the difference is called a deficit and the asset is informally said to be "underwater" or "upside-down". In government finance or other non-profit settings, equity is known as "net position" or "net assets". Origins The term "equity" describes this type of ownership in English because it was regulated through the system of equity law that devel ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Kangol
Kangol is a British clothing corporation, company famous for its headwear. The name Kangol reflects the original materials for production, the K coming from the word 'silK' (a recent attribution to 'Knitting' is incorrect), the ANG from 'ANGora', and the OL from 'woOL'. Although no Kangol hat has ever actually been manufactured in Australia, the Kangaroo logo was adopted by Kangol in 1983 because Americans commonly asked where they could get "the Kangaroo hat". Early history Founded in 1938 by a History of the Jews in Poland, Polish Jew, Jacques Spreiregen, Kangol produced hats for workers, golfers, and especially soldiers. Spreiregen, born Jacob Henryk Spreiregen in Warsaw in 1893, emigrated with his family to Paris in 1906. He then moved to London in 1914, where he worked as an importer and seller of various products that included wool, woollen goods, and berets. He served in the British Army in World War I, joining the Labour Corps (British Army), Labour Corps to drive ambu ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Karrimor
Karrimor is a British brand of backpacks, outdoor equipment, outdoor and sports equipment, and clothing. The company was founded as the Karrimor Bag Company in 1946. Financial difficulties beginning in the late 1990s led to the company entering receivership in March 2004, after which the trademark was acquired by Sports Direct and is now used for various budget outdoor and running products. History Original company Early history Karrimor was founded and based in Lancashire, England, Lancashire, England, following World War II, with the company moving early on from Rawtenstall shop premises to nearby Clayton-le-Moors. Its history began in 1943, when Waterfoot, Lancashire, Waterfoot bicycle shop owner Charles Parsons (1910–?) went blind from an accident that had occurred in 1939. Under war and post-war conditions, he was also unable to obtain saddlebag and pannier stock for sale, but was still able to buy local raw fabric. [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Dunlop Slazenger
Dunlop Slazenger was a sports equipment manufacturing company formed by now-defunct BTR plc by consolidating the various sports brands acquired as part their take-over of Dunlop Rubber, Dunlop Holdings in 1985. The company is most recognised for its involvement in golf, tennis, squash (sport), squash, and badminton through the Dunlop Sport, Slazenger, Maxfli and Carlton Sports brands. Overview In 1996, the company was sold in a management buyout backed by private equity firm Cinven. This arrangement did not have a successful existence, and Dunlop Slazenger soon found itself being run by the banks, led by The Royal Bank of Scotland. Under the banks' management, TaylorMade-adidas Golf took up their option to purchase the Maxfli golf brand in 2004, following a previous licensing arrangement, and the rights to Slazenger Golf in North America were sold to the Slazenger Golf Products Company. The remainder of Dunlop Slazenger was eventually sold to Frasers Group, Sports Direct for £ ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Donnay Sports
Donnay Sports is a sports equipment brand currently owned by Frasers Group. The company was founded in 1910 by Emile Donnay and was based in Couvin, Belgium. Donnay manufactured wooden tennis rackets from 1934, and by the 1970s was the largest manufacturer of tennis rackets in the world. However, the company failed to adapt to the new market for graphite rackets, and entered administration in 1988. After a succession of owners, the brand was eventually sold to Sports Direct International, who continue to license the use of the brand worldwide. Nowadays Donnay commercialises tennis rackets, strings and bags. Donnay rackets were used professionally in Europe by Björn Borg from 1975 until his retirement in 1983. Other professionals included Andre Agassi, Rod Laver and Greg Rusedski. History The company was founded in 1910 by Emile Donnay (1885–1972) as a wooden tool handle manufacturing co-operative with six employees. Emile Donnay had little education and a modest background. ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
