The ongoing row between Sir David Jones JJB Sports and Mike Ashley’s Sports Direct Chain, has started getting a bit nasty after Jones called the Sports Direct flagship store in Picadilly Circus, formerly Lillywhites ‘a complete and utter tragedy’.
Sports Direct have turned the former Lillywhites sports emporium into something representing a bargain basement store, with stock crammed to the rafters. The once iconic and world renowned brand Lillywhites now resembles just about any other high street sports outlet.
Jones explained: “Rather than emulate, we’re looking to be unique. We don’t want what happened to Lillywhites to happen to us. It’s a complete and utter tragedy, and looks like just any other Sports Direct shop.”
JJB have endured a particularly difficult time of late, reporting a huge increase in losses for the half year of £42.9 million. The company has blamed stock shortages due to suppliers being ‘uncertain about the groups future.’
Even taking out the effect of the chain’s closure of 96 stores, sales were still down by almost a third. Jones said the stock position would not get back to normal until Christmas next year, partly because sports merchandise takes six months to arrive from order to delivery.
Jones could not help having a pop at his more profitable rivals, saying that JJBs recovery would stem from “being in the middle ground and offering a good service to the sports-conscious customer” rather than following the fashion route of rival JD Sports, which yesterday reported an 11% rise in first-half profits, or the flog-it-cheap style of Sports Direct.
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