Sports Direct boss vows to ‘save the High Street’

Mike Ashley has vowed to save the struggling British high street, insisting MPs must do more to help.

The retailer, whose Sports Direct group bought House of Fraser (HoF) over the summer, is to attend a select committee in Westminster on 3 December after demanding to meet MPs in person.

Ashley said: “Since we acquired House of Fraser, we’ve been working around the clock to save as many stores and jobs as possible. I believe politicians and landlords should be doing more to save our struggling high streets, so I intend to make the most of this opportunity to make a real difference.”

Sports Direct recently announced it was closing its Nottingham store.

The Housing, Communities and Local Government Committee is currently conducting an inquiry into ‘High streets and town centres in 2030.’

A spokesman for Sports Direct said: “The MPs originally wanted somebody from House of Fraser to speak for about 15 minutes as part of a panel of four, and said they didn’t mind who it was. Mike thought that wouldn’t achieve anything, so instead he demanded to go along in person for a full hour.”