300 jobs to be axed after Mike Ashley’s Sports Direct announces warehouse closure

Three hundred jobs will be lost with the closure in June of a Sports Direct warehouse in Wigan.

The high street giant, owned by billionaire Mike Ashley, announced to workers yesterday, April 15, that the site will close on June 13, said the GMB union.

The GMB described the closure as a “body blow” to the North West.

The warehouse functions as a packing facility, the union said.

Staff are being offered jobs at the retailer’s packaging site in Shirebrook, Derbyshire.

Paul McCarthy, GMB regional secretary, said: “This closure is another body blow for the North West – caused by a company with a track record of putting profits before people.

“The hard-working, dedicated staff at the warehouse have already been put through the grinder once when the site was run by JJB – and now this.2

He added: “GMB will not rest until every member receives the redundancy pay they are legally entitled.

“Then we will discuss next steps.”

The warehouse was originally part of the JJB Sports business.

Sports Direct bought part of the firm and the brand for £28.3m in 2012 after the firm called in the administrators. Around 60 stores closed resulting in 2,200 redundancies.

It is believed that Sports Direct had exercised an option to trigger an early end to a 10-year lease on the warehouse.

One worker, who asked not to be named, told Wigan Today: “It was a bolt from the blue. No-one had any inkling it was coming. People were in tears. People have taken out mortgages and now they have no jobs.”

The town’s Labour MP Lisa Nandy said: “This is devastating news for hundreds of workers who now face an uncertain future.

“I have today written to the management of Sports Direct and I am in contact with the GMB trade union.

“My immediate priority is to ensure all staff, including agency workers, receive the pay and redundancy package they are morally entitled to.”

Sports Direct has not commented.

Mike Ashley has been rarely out of the news in recent months.

He recently bought House of Fraser out of administration but failed in his £200m bid to buy ailing department store Debenhams.

His attempt to buy Manchester online firm Findel Group also looks to have failed after the deal was rejected by shareholders.

According to some reports the Newcastle United owner has lost £500m in various deals over the last six months.