The lush green fields, scattering of farm buildings and 12th-century splendour of nearby Coombe Abbey that surround the small village of Ansty in Warwickshire are a long way from the neon football boots, giant mugs and piles of tracksuit bottoms of Sports Direct’s busy stores.
But the two worlds will soon meet. On Christmas Eve the sports fashion chain’s owner, Frasers Group, received an early festive gift: planning permission to build a 371,600 Sq metre 4m sq ft headquarters near Ansty. The vast development – which will host a hotel, shop and recreational facilities for its 7,600 workers – puts the business on a collision course with concerned local people and thousands of existing staff who the Unite union say are unlikely to be able to move from its current East Midlands head office.
