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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
Business
Sarah Butler

From squash player to sportswear giant: Mike Ashley’s colourful retail career

Mike Ashley, founder and former CEO of Sports Direct.
Mike Ashley has faced several shareholder rebellions and a public spat with the owners of Debenhams. Photograph: David Klein/Reuters

Mike Ashley’s retreat from the public face of the business he founded is a return to form for the reclusive retailer.

Before his group, then called Sports Direct, floated on the stock exchange in 2007, the only pictures of Ashley available were those from his days as a county squash player back in the 1970s.

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