Mike Ashley | Sports Direct in U-turn after worker safety claims

Retailer Sports Direct has announced new plans to close stores amid the coronavirus outbreak, despite bosses previously confirming that the stores would be open.

Chiefs at the company initially said that the retail stores would remain open because selling sporting and fitness equipment makes the retailer a vital asset during a UK lockdown, reported the Daily Mail.

It was revealed that Mike Ashley's Frasers Group, which includes both Sports Direct and Evans Cycles, had written to all staff members within minutes of Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s decision to put the UK on lockdown, shutting all non-essential retailers at 8.30pm last night.

Unsurprisingly Ashley’s decision was met with vast criticism. Kevin Maguire, Associate Editor at the Daily Mirror, slammed owner Ashley, branding him as "one of Britain’s very worst bosses, forcing frightened employees into work".