Britain's retail tough guy, Mike Ashley, sets his sights on Australia
Mike Ashley is always spoiling for a fight. And the teenage squash coach turned sports shop owner turned British retailing tycoon has plenty of experience. He's been in boardroom brawls, sued the Newcastle United Football Club, which he once owned, and accused Morgan Stanley of 'snobbery' over a $1.4 billion margin call on his position in Hugo Boss.
Now Ashley, the majority owner of London-listed Frasers Group, one of the biggest retailers in the United Kingdom, has set his sights on Australia's sporting goods market. In front of him is an $8.4 billion sector in a sports-mad country that has been long dominated by Rebel Sport.
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