JJB Sports has evidence of 'pernicious' allegations against chairman | Business | The Guardian JJB Sports has evidence of 'pernicious' allegations against chairman • JJB dossier shows forged bank statements • FSA expected to launch inquiry to find culprits JJB Sports is to provide a dossier to the City watchdog detailing “pernicious” allegations made against chairman Sir David Jones.Photograph Newscast Sunday 11 October 2009 12.25 EDT First published on Sunday 11 October 2009 12.25 EDT Close This article is 7 years old JJB will tomorrow hand a dossier over to the Financial Services Authority detailing "pernicious" allegations made against chairman Sir David Jones which the sportswear chain claims amounts to "market abuse" designed to wreck its £100m rights issue. The City watchdog is expected to launch an investigation to find out who planted the false rumours, which as well as Jones, also target David Whelan, chairman of Wigan Athletic football club and the former chief executive of JJB, and his daughter Jayne Sharpe.

The sports retailer was forced to pull the rights issue on Friday as rumours circulated on the financial markets and John Clare, its senior independent director, was called in to investigate them. JJB which plans to go ahead with its rights issue this week, says the claims are false and without foundation. The dossier handed to the FSA includes forged bank statements which were given to two national newspapers on Friday, the day the retailer had planned to launch its rights issue. Investors in JJB were called that morning by unnamed parties and warned against taking part in the issue claiming damaging revelations about Jones were due to be published over the weekend. That afternoon Jones's personal accountant gave the retailer's board and its lawyers, Herbert Smith, his bank statement to show that the documents alleging improper payments provided to the newspapers were forged. The FSA declined to comment this weekend. Jones, who this summer was at the centre of a scandal over a £1.5m loan from rival boss of Sports Direct, Mike Ashley , was said to be "deeply shocked and speechless with rage" this weekend which he spent at his holiday home in Spain. It is understood that the intention behind the allegations about the financial affairs of Jones was to smear his reputation and wreck JJB's rights issue.

In a statement to be released to the stock market tomorrow , JJB reiterated its support for Jones: "During the course of Friday morning, the company was made aware of rumours that were circulating in the press and financial markets in relation to Sir David Jones's personal financial affairs and decided to delay the proposed capital raising until it had the opportunity to further investigate these rumours." It added: "The board has now concluded its investigation and found these rumours to be totally unfounded ... The Board is very concerned by the timing and concerted nature of these rumours and has passed on full details, with the results of its investigation, to the relevant regulatory authorities. The Board remains fully supportive of Sir David Jones and committed to proceeding with a capital raising." It also emerged this weekend that Steve Johnson, who was chief executive of collapsed high street chain Woolworths, is on the short list of candidates to fill the vacant position of chief executive of JJB. Johnson is said to be one up to ten names on the list. An announcement on who has been selected is not expected for several months, clouding the sports retail sector in the UK. The sector is characterised by shifting alliances, shared interests and almighty bust-ups when big egos fall out.

Jones became executive chairman of JJB in January when chief executive Chris Ronnie was sacked. Jones, who turned around retailer Next in the 1990s was tasked with sorting out JJB. But Jones was roundly criticised this summer when it emerged that he had borrowed £1.5m from Newcastle Football club owner Mike Ashley, who owns Sports Direct, a big rival of JJB. Sports Direct also owns brands such as Slazenger tennis balls which are stocked in JJB shops. Ashley disputes Jones's claim that the loan was initiated before he joined the board of JJB in late 2007. When details of the loan were leaked to the media, Jones paid the money back in three days. Sources close to JJB said that the rest of the board was entirely satisfied that Jones paid the money back using legitimate sources, but said how he did so was his "private business". UKs leading sports retailer JJB Sports, sport, store, news, fashion JJB Sports sees sales slide after World Cup JJB Sports this week revealed a slide in figures of 4.1 per cent for the 24 weeks to 15th July.

The firm, which is the official store for England football merchandise, is expecting a more positive second half of its financial year. The company exceeded expectations last year in the run-up to the World Cup with fans snapping up replica England shirts. Company executives were bracing themselves for a fall in takings in the comparative period t his year. Chairman Roger Lane-Smith stated: ï¿½We have now passed through the trading period which included the very difficult comparatives of the 2006 World Cup. Despite these tough times our trading results have still remained satisfactory.ï¿½ JJB, which operates more than 400 stores across Britain, said like-for-like revenue fell 1.8 per cent in the first 18 weeks of its financial year. A month ago, owner Dave Whelen shocked the City by netting £190 million from the sale of his 29 per cent stake. He also stepped down from the board, prior to being appointed an honorary life president. JJB Sports in takeover controversy The buyers of a major stake in JJB Sports have given written reassurances that they are not linked with Mike Ashley, who runs rival Sports Direct.

Suspicions that Ashley may be behind the purchase were aroused this weekend when JJB announced that its founder, Dave Whelan, and his family had sold their entire 29 per cent stake, worth £190m, to a joint venture vehicle set up by sports executive Chris Ronnie and Icelandic financial group Exista. Both Ronnie and Exista have links to Ashley, who recently took over Newcastle United. Exista has had cross-shareholdings with fellow Icelandic bank Kaupthing, which advised Ashley on the Newcastle deal, while Ronnie, a former chief operating officer at Umbro, has worked for the reclusive tycoon. Ronnie will become deputy to Tom Knight, JJB's chief executive. Knight said: 'We have had assurances from them in writing.' 11 June 2007 JJB revenue slows JJB Sports on Wednesday stated total revenue for the 18 weeks to 3 June 2007, including that from retail stores and from health clubs, was 1.2 per cent lower than the same period last year and includes a like-for-like decrease in revenue (on operating units which have been trading for over 52 weeks), of 1.8 per cent.

ï¿½For comparison purposes, if all replica kit revenues are taken from total revenues for both the 18 weeks to 3 June and the comparative period, then there would have been an increase in total revenue of 2.6 per cent,ï¿½ said JJB. Non-executive chairman Roger Lane-Smith said "Trading results for the first 18 weeks of the current accounting period is in-line with our expectations and I remain confident that our policies of product differentiation within our retail stores and the expansion of our chain of health clubs, will provide future growth.ï¿½ 6 June 2007 JJB to go digital JJB Sports is thought be in talks to launch a digital TV channel. The high street sports retailer, founded by Wigan Football Club chairman Dave Whelan, is said to be close to launching JJB Sports TV, after having spent £3.3 million for the Golf Channel UK and the Golf TB Pro-Shop channel last year. According to the Scotsman, the channel will likely show a mix of editorial sports programmes, including ladies' golf, and will also function as a shopping network. The channel is expected to reach eight million homes in the UK.

Further news of developments will most likely be revealed during the company's release of its annual results later this week. The market expects a rise in pre-tax profits to £40.4 million on sales up 8 percent to £811 million. JJB Sports founder sells stake JJB Sports founder David Whelan has raised £50m through the sale of an 8.6% stake in the sportswear retailer. Mr Whelan said he had sold 20.5 million shares for personal reasons, leading to speculation that he will buy players for his football club Wigan Athletic. Mr Whelan founded JJB Sports in 1971 and it now has more than 430 shops. He bought Wigan Athletic in 1995. The sale of an 8.6% stake in JJB Sports reduces Mr Whelan and his family's holding to around 29%. Analysts said Mr Whelan had taken advantage of JJB's high share price, which has outperformed the UK retail sector average by 30% over the past 12 months.

The firm's shares have risen strongly over the past year, due to its revenue growth, but also rumours that it could be a bid target for unnamed suitors. Analysts were unsure whether Mr Whelan's sale makes a possible bid more or less likely, but he has pledged not to sell any more shares in the business for at least 12 months. "The speculation would be that Wigan is getting near to the relegation zone and has had difficulty getting their hands on new players and this would give him more firepower to pay big bucks," said one analyst, who declined to be named. JJB's shares were down 4.4% to 246.75p in Friday trading. JJB workers on strike Employees of British sports retailer JJB Sports are going on strike over the company's pay rates and bonus schemes. 266 member of the general union GMB, who are employed by the JJB distribution warehouse in Wigan , will hold two days of strikes next Tuesday and Thursday. The warehouse is the only one that distributes to all 430 JJB high-street shops.

According to GMB Lancashire organiser Sandra Blight, the company has not returned with an offer other than its original offer of a pay rate of 3 percent. For Blight it is not so much about the number, which she does not consider unreasonable, as it is about the principle. "This is about getting all the workers in the distribution warehouse on the same pay rate," she says. "Currently, everyone is on a different pay rates and only the pickers are eligible for bonuses. This is something else we want to see changed. We are trying to get one basic pay rate and a bonus scheme for all the workers, no matter what their skills. The better the skill set, the more they should be rewarded, but the basis should be the same." According to her, the lack of uniformity is causing tension on the work floor, which is detrimental to overall production levels and atmosphere. Blight claims that GMB and JJB had almost reached an agreement, based on one of the retailers' director's proposals. At the very last minute, however, founder and executive director David Whelan rejected the proposal. Since then, she asserts, the director in question - Tom Knight - has changed his tune.

"We were on a local radio programme together and I found him claiming a single rate of pay was preposterous, when that had been part of his initial proposal!" Whelan is currently on holiday for a few weeks, so there seems to be no way to avoid a strike. JJB executives could not be reached for comment. JJB Sports cautious despite sales growth Although JJB reported a rise in revenues for the first half of 12.1 percent to £381.6 million, the company maintained a cautious outlook. "Although we are encouraged by the revenue improvement and the marginal increase in pre-tax profits, difficult trading conditions continue to challenge the margin," said non-executive chairman Roger Lane-Smith. Like-for-like sales increased 9.5 percent JJB is trying to differentiate itself from its competitors with its "Serious about Sports" strategy, which involves using the slogan in advertising and improving product ranges in stores. The company has built its offer around Nike and Adidas, with lower-priced ranges from a number of brands including Patrick, Olympus , Lotto, Le Coq Sportif and Slazenger.

It believes that its "close relationships with both the Nike and Adidas brands will result in a much wider range of exclusive products being on offer at JJB", thereby competing successfully within the market. One of these relationships also resulted in the launch of a new Adidas store within its superstores. The company hopes to duplicate this initiative with Nike. It has also recently begun to stock products from the US apparel brand UnderAmour, with whom it signed a retail and wholesale agreement. JJB said that the expansion of its Leisure Division - the company operates a number of health clubs - was on track and both membership and profit were up. Twelve more clubs are in the pipeline for this year, bringing the total to 44. The company said revenues and like-for-like revenues increased 8.8 percent in the eleven weeks to 15 October. The gross margin increased slightly compared with that of the comparative period. "Looking forward, the latest trading results give us confidence for a satisfactory outcome to the current accounting period," said Lane-Smith. "However, the retail sector continues to be highly competitive and Christmas will be an important trading period for us. We will continue to be focused upon value, quality and service and to be 'Serious about Sport'".

Lilywhites owner takes shares in JJB The secretive sportswear billionaire who owns Lillywhites and Sports World is understood to have built a 10% holding in rival retailer JJB. The revelation about Mike Ashley's stake - which is held through a contract for difference (CFD) - is likely to spark speculation about whether he might launch a bid for JJB. But it will also reignite the debate about the disclosure of stakes held through derivatives such as CFDs. If Ashley held the shares directly, he would have had to declare his holding once it topped 3%. However, because the shares are held by securities firm Man Financial - to cover his derivative position - he is under no obligation to declare his interest. City advisers to JJB have long suspected that the Man Financial stake was acquired to cover a derivative position held by Ashley - but they have been unable to force him to declare his interest. However, this weekend friends of Ashley confirmed that the secretive billionaire controlled a 10% stake through a CFD with Man Financial. News of Ashley's stake is bound to infuriate David Whelan, the chairman and founder of JJB.

The two men are known to despise each other.In 2000, Ashley blew the whistle on the price fixing of replica football shirts by rivals - including Whelan - when he complained to the Office of Fair Trading. The OFT found JJB guilty and fined the retailer ï¿½6.3m. Shares in JJB closed this week at 180p. Whelan and his family still own a 41% stake in the business. 31 July 2006 JJB Sports profits take nose-dive JJB Sports last week posted a loss in annual profits of 45 percent. The price war on the high street was the cause of the slump. The sportswear chain said that decreasing sales and major discounting has caused operating profits to drop to £34.3 million from £62.1 million the year before. The results were in line with analysts' expectations, after JJB has issued a series of profit warnings. Fierce competition from Sports World International and JD sports, as well as from supermarkets looking for a piece of the sports and leisurewear pie, proved too much for JJB.

Earlier this month Britain's biggest sportswear provider Sports World International reported an annual sales rise of 45 percent, with revenues of £905 million. JJB reported revenues of £745.2 million, a drop of 3.6 percent, with like-for-likes sales down 4.3 percent. The company said that trading in 2006 was in line with expectations. Like-for-like sales were up 2.6 percent, although gross margins fell to 46.1 percent from 49 percent due to aggressive pricing. JJB is increasingly looking to invest in health clubs and out-of-town stores to boost growth. "Although not unexpected, the fall in the full-year profits is disappointing," said non-executive chairman Roger Lane-Smith. JJB Sports gives profit warning Sporting goods retailer and health club operator JJB Sports will issue its seventh profit warning in 18 months on Friday. The company has suffered under a price war in the sporting goods market and said that resulting pressure on margins would send pre-tax profits to £32 million to £36 million, almost 50 percent down from £63 million in the previous year. The warning sent shock waves through the City.

"I haven't seen that many businesses fall apart as quickly as this," analyst Sanjay Vidyarthi of Teather & Greenwood told the FT. "It was making nearly £100 million four years ago. In April, I was looking for £61 million this year, but today I've cut it back further to £33.5 million." JJB blames the competition and admits to having a slow reaction to their lower prices. "We only recently came to the conclusion and in October we brought prices down," said finance director David Greenwood. "We are now accepting that competition on the high street generally is so strong that these are the sort of prices we are going to have to have." Greenwood did say that underlying sales were improving and pointed out that this year's World Cup would help, but admitted that tough market conditions would probably persist for at least six to nine months. JJB suffers poor performance Sporting goods retailer JJB Sports has posted disappointing first-half sales. The group reported sales were still down 3.1 percent for the 10 weeks to 9 October, although they had improved since the first half.

The group, 39 percent-owned by founder and former chairman David Whelan and his family, said that underlying sales had dropped 4.3 percent in the 10 weeks to 9 October, which was an improvement on the 8.8 percent drop it suffered in the first half. Gross margin had fallen by 1.2 percent. Clothing sales continued to suffer due to competition from Tesco and Matalan, and footwear also performed poorly. Chief executive Tom Knight said that the health club business was undervalued by analysts, but had to admit that new openings would not lift profit in the short term. "Some people still don't understand the future value of this business," he told the FT. "It has two revenue streams from one property and some don't get that." JJB sales drop British sports retailer and healthclub group JJB Sports posted a drop in sales for the 22 weeks ending 3 July. Sales dropped 8.9 per cent while like-for-like sales fell by 9.4 per cent.

In the six weeks ending 3 July, results took an even greater turn for the worse, with total turnover down by 11.7 per cent and like-for-like sales down by 13 per cent. John Stevenson, analyst for Shore Capital, told the FT: "I don't believe the company has addressed the changes in the market in the last couple of years. They have a lot of challenges: the estage is in need of work, the fashion market has moved away from sports wear, and the market is extremely competitive." Analyst have also indicated that, aside from a general poor retail climate, JJB is suffering from the effects of competition from rivals like Sports Soccer. The extreme drop in turnover was partially due to a boost in sales in 2004, with the Euro 2004 footbaal competition during May and June. Had the boost in the sale of football merchandise not occurred, the decline in turnover would have been a less dramatic 6.1 per cent. Chairman David Whelan confirmed on Wednesday that he was stepping down from his position.

In reference to the retail climate, he said: "I do not anticipate any material improvement in retail trading conditions before spring 2006." Whelan intends to spend more time on his football club, Wigan Athletic. However, the company said that although is role in the company would be "slightly reduced", he intends "to maintain all his day-to-day contacts and duties, and the duties that he will relinquish will be those more directly related to his former position as chairman of the company." Roger Lane-Smith, a non-executive director since 1998 and former senior partner and chairman of law firm DLA Piper Rudnick Gray Cary, has been appointed non-executive chairman. JJB cuts numbers The British sporting goods retailer JJB Sports Plc is set to cut its clothing supply base. In doing so it will reduce its sportswear collections following a fall in sales of 1.6% in the 23 weeks ending 2 January. Total sales for the Christmas and New Year trading period fell 2 %, with like-for-like sales decreasing by 14%. In a further bid to cut short falling sales, JJB is also asking its suppliers to provide the group with mid-price sportswear.

This would also help the company differentiate itself from its rivals. JJB is currently the UK's largest sportswear chain, with 437 stores. JJB Takeover Halt There have been more problems for struggling sportswear chain JJB Sports with the end of takeover talks and a cut in profits. Shares fell 20 per cent on the takeover failure and news that annual profits slumped by almost a quarter. The Wigan-based company said its board had concluded that the takeover approach had been "unlikely to lead to an offer that would reflect the fair value of the company". The group revealed the approach in a statement last Friday. Shares soared 24 per cent after the announcement, which followed a failed bid by JJB's chairman to take the company private last year. Cinven is understood to have approached Dave Whelan, a former footballer and chairman of JJB, in recent weeks. The group has struggled in the face of tough competition since 2003, when annual profits dropped for the first time since its flotation and issued a profits warning in July. JJB, with 448 stores across the country, is the UK's biggest sports chain and was valued at around £600m.

JJB Sports In Takeover By Cinven The mystery player behind a potential takeover approach to JJB Sports is private equity player Cinven, according to reports. News agency Reuters quotes "a source close to the process" as confirming that Cinven is behind the approach, backing up a weekend report in the Sunday Times. JJB, the UK's biggest specialist sports retailer, confirmed a bid approach last week, without naming the potential bidder. The newspaper reported that Cinven had appointed investment bank Merrill Lynch to advise it on a bid, and had approached JJB Chairman Dave Whelan, founder of the company. Cinven has not yet been granted access to JJB's books, said Reuters. Other private equity bidders would be likely to come forward if JJB goes up for sale officially. JJB Sports Confirms Bid Interest JJB Sports has confirmed that it has received am approach from a potential bidder for the group. Responding to movements in its share price and subsequent press reports, the company said: "The Board of JJB Sports plc has noted recent press speculation and announces that it has received an approach which may or may not lead to an offer for the company."JJB gave no further information.

The company saw strong trading in its shares on Thursday and Friday as the City responded to rumours of a takeover approach. JJB issued a profits warning at the end of August, fuelling speculation that it could attract the attention of private equity fund looking for bargains in the UK retail sector. The group has around 450 UK stores. Any bid would need the support of chairman and major shareholder David Whelan, the company founder. Whelan attempted to take the company private last year, but failed to win support for a bid. Along with venture capital players, the City has speculated that Mike Ashley, owner of the Sports Soccer chain and Lillywhites in London, or retail entrepreneur Tom Hunter, who sold his Sports Division chain to JJB six years ago, could be behind then approach. Profits Expected To Fall For JJB Sports JJB Sports has warned that it expects its full-year profits to fall short of market forecasts as the wet UK summer combined with an already competitive market to hit sales.

The sportswear retailer said that it "considers it unlikely that the market expectations of net profit before tax and goodwill amortisation of GBP88m will be achieved and anticipates a shortfall of approximately 20 per cent." Last month, JJB stated that its overall clothing sales had been weak, despite good sales of replica kits during the Euro 2004 tournament. Turnover for the 23 weeks to July 4 was 1.1 per cent down, with like-for-likes down 1.3 per cent. Updating on its recent performance, JJB said in the six weeks to August 15, "sales have been affected by the unseasonably wet weather which has resulted in lower sales volumes of JJB's summer clothing products such as t-shirts, polo shirts and shorts and to a certain extent have been affected by continuing strong competition." Total turnover for the 29 weeks to August 15 is 2 per cent down, with an identical reduction in like-for-like turnover. The company said that the final outcome for the year will depend upon its performance during the Christmas period, and its store opening programme remains in place.

JJB Sports might sell TJ Hughes JJB Sports has said to talk about the sale of discount retailer TJ Hughes while posting a 26 per cent fall in first-half pre-tax profit to GBP 24 million. JJB said that the board had entered into discussions which may lead to the sale of TJ Hughes, but that talks are in an early stage. JJB acquired TJ Hughes in March 2002 and decided to put the chain up for sale after a review of the group's activities. JJB posted a 13.6 per cent increase in sales to GBP 460 million with sales for the JJB business rising 1.6 per cent to GBP 368 million, but declining 3 per cent on a like-for-like basis over the first half ended 27 July 2003. The increase in group sales was mainly due to the acquisition of TJ Hughes. TJ Hughes saw it's sales rise with 5.6 per cent to GBP 92 million. New JJB kid's line British sportswear retailer, JJB Sports, has divulged plans for the launch of a new value-priced kidswear brand. The move is part of a product overhaul.

The company has not yet decided on a name for the new brand but said it would go head-to-head with supermarket giant Asda's George label. JJB CEO Tom Knight said: "Asda hit us hard on kidswear last year. Buying from brands, you just can't compete on price, but we will be able to with our own label." He continued: "Kids up to 10 years old aren't quite as brand-conscious as 10-to 14-year-olds and that is where we will focus." April 15, 2003 Will JJB Sports go private? JJB Sports PLC founder and chairman David Whelan on Tuesday revealed he is "seriously considering" taking the company private. Shares in leading sports apparel and equipment chain consequently jumped nearly 20 per cent. Whelan, whose family holds a 39 per cent stake in the company, said he has informed JJB's non-executive directors of his intentions. The company said in a statement: "The non-executive directors of JJB Sports have been informed by Dave Whelan that he is seriously considering making an offer for the share capital of JJB Sports not already owned by his family.

Should an offer be forthcoming a further announcement will be made at that time." March 26, 2003 New chief named for JJB Sports JJB Sports named Tom Knight its new chief executive this week, two months after his predecessor, Duncan Sharpe, committed suicide. Knight joined JJB Sports from Black's Leisure shortly before Mr Duncan hanged himself, takes up the job with immediate effect. Chairman David Whelan, Mr Sharpe's father-in-law, said: "Tom is the right person to deliver the potential of the business." Mr Knight was previously managing director of Black's Leisure's sport and fashion division, where he led an unsuccessful management buyout attempt as interim chief executive between Simon Bentley's two tenures. November 28, 2002 JJB Sports profit down Sportswear chain JJB Sports, not yet recovered the suicide death of its CEO Duncan Sharpe last Monday, reported a 16.8 per cent year-on-year slide in first-half pre-tax profit to GBP 39.3 million.

JJB Sports, which operates more than 430 stores said in a statement same-store sales in the core JJB business rose 0.1 per cent in the first half and slipped 1.1 per cent in the 10 weeks since August 1. The firms performance was not helped by its April acquisition of discount clothing chain TJ Hughes. Excluding Hughes, JJB said its turnover climbed 4.2 per cent in the first half to GBP 362.5m. Chairman David Whelan, father-in-law to the deceased, said in a news release that tough trading conditions "may well become more difficult depending upon the general economic climate". The Guardian reported this week that the sports retailer said it was considering a management buyout following the dip in the company's fortunes. JJB Sports is reportedly looking into the possibilities and has held talks with venture capital groups to fund a deal to take JJB back into private ownership. JJB Sport conquers Holland UKs leading sports retailer JJB Sports is conquering Nothern Europe. After the successful opening of the first overseas store in Rotterdam, the Netherlands, JJB has now opened a new branch in Amsterdam.

JJB Sports has moved into the former Marks & Spencerbuilding in the Amsterdam shopping centre Kalverstraat. The store has three floors and covers 4000 m2. The store sells all the major sporting brands; Reebok, Nike, Adidas, Speedo, Quick, Le Coq Sportive etc. This year the shop is planning to open a fully furnished fitness-school on the floors above the shop. General Manager Frank van Meurs: There will be a fitness-center, aerobics-studio, Turkish steam bath, and squash hall. Dave Whelan Bain - Dave Whelan Net Worth Dave Whelan Bain Read more... Dave Whelan Dave Whelan Net Worth is $210 Million. Dave Whelan is Businessperson | Football player. Dave Whelan Date of Birth is 1936-11-24. Dave Whelan Country is Bradford.. David "Dave" Whelan (born 24 November 1936) is a former professional football player with Blackburn Rovers and Crewe ... Dave Whelan Net Worth is $210 Million. Dave Whelan Net Worth is $210 Million. Dave Whelan is Businessperson | Football player.

Dave Whelan Date of Birth is 1936-11-24. Dave Whelan Country is Bradford. David "Dave" Whelan is a former professional football player with Blackburn Rovers and Crewe Alexandra who now owns Wigan Athletic. He is the former owner of JJB Sports and the current owner of the DW Stadium where Wigan Athletic and Wigan Warriors RLFC play. A prominent supporter of the Conservative Party, in 2008 he donated ??250,000 to the Party and in 2013 he stirred controversy with his call for a mandatory minute's silence at all football games upon the death of Margaret Thatcher. Whelan was born in Bradford and raised in Wigan. Whelan was a member of Blackburn Rovers' 1960 FA Cup Final team, which lost 3-0 to Wolverhampton Wanderers. Whelan himself did not complete the game, breaking a leg during the first half. Whelan's injury is one of many serious injuries suffered by players in the 1950-60 era and was known as the Wembley hoodoo. Following his leg break, Whelan was sold to Crewe Alexandra F.C.

where he played for several years before ... An evening with Dave Whelan | University of Bolton An evening with Dave Whelan Share this page Dave Whelan's Biography Dave Whelan grew up in a slum area of Wigan during the 2nd world war. And from those humble beginnings he rose to become one of the most successful and richest businessmen in the country. En route he became a professional footballer with Blackburn Rovers and played in the 1960 FA Cup Final. Sadly it proved to be a heart-breaking experience being not only on the losing side but breaking his leg so badly he was never the same player again. But that misfortune drove him on to achieve huge success as a businessman. He began working on a stall in Wigan market before buying a small shop in the town. Inspired by America’s new fangled supermarkets he based it on that model and expanded to 10 shops called Whelan’s Discounts Stores. In effect they became the UK’s first supermarket chain. He sold them to ambitious Yorkshire businessman Ken Morrison, of the now famous supermarket chain, for £1.5 million making him a rich man at a very young age.

He then set up a sports wear shop again based on an American model and turned it into an empire of 450 shops nationwide famously known as JJB Sports. Selling up in 2007 he now owns the DW Fitness chain of gyms. Dave is also the proud owner and chairman of Wigan Athletic football club which he bought when they were languishing in the old 3rd Division and struggling to pay their players. He was ridiculed for claiming he would take them to the premier league within 10 years but he did just that. And the proudest moment of his life was last year when, at the age of 76, he led his team onto the pitch at Wembley for the FA Cup final and then watched them defy all the odds to beat hot favourites Manchester City to lift the cup that had eluded him in those tragic circumstances back in the 1960 final. Corporate Profile: It's a sporting life, David | The Independent Business Corporate Profile: It's a sporting life, David David Whelan is a former professional footballer turned company captain.

His JJB Sports is the UK's biggest sport retailer, he owns Wigan Athletic and built a pounds 28m stadium for them and Wigan Warriors rugby league club. He has tackled a tricky merger, but what is that mark on the store floor? Tuesday 7 September 1999 23:02 BST Click to follow The Independent Online DAVID WHELAN is running behind schedule. His afternoon helicopter tour of three of his sports stores finished an hour late, and his desk at the Wigan headquarters of JJB Sports, Britain's biggest sports retailer, has come out in an unsightly pink rash of adhesive notes, dotted around piles of papers, a few medicine bottles and a battered Oxo tin. But first things first. Squinting over his glasses at his phone, he slowly punches out the numbers. He calls his marketing director: Why are there still no interest-free credit signs for the golf displays? He interrogates a supplier: Why were there unsightly rubber marks on a new shop floor? Some say Mr Whelan is an uncompromising northerner, blunt to the point of rudeness, and he is living up to that reputation. He looks up. "That floor," he growls.

"It shouldn't have those marks. All these kind of things you've got to go and look at and crack the whip over." Tomorrow, he'll be doing this again, at six more Scottish stores, all part of running a UK-wide sportsgear retailing chain that accounts for one-third of the UK dedicated sports retail market. Popular product lines range from replica football shirts and football boots, to bicycles and golf clubs, and JJB can be found on most UK retail parks. At 62 and white-haired, age and personal wealth should enable Mr Whelan, a former professional footballer, to take it easier, instead of tracking the minutiae of the company he founded 20 years ago. The chairman is also up to his eyes in the sporting interests he calls "hobbies". The Saturday before he had been watching Wigan Athletic, the football club he owns, beat Preston, an old Lancashire adversary. The match took the team to the top of the second division, a result that figured high on Mr Whelan's personal satisfaction scale. His game verdict? "Good," he says with characteristic bluffness.

"Thought we were on the lucky side." Then there is the town's obsession, the Wigan Warriors rugby league club he rescued from bankruptcy two years ago. He built a pounds 28m stadium to house the football and rugby teams, half a mile from his office. The Warriors' first game there last Sunday was the Wigan's biggest event for years. But this is not the moment for David Whelan to take his eye off the ball at JJB, where the need for good results is more pressing. Over a very difficult 12 months, JJB has struggled to assimilate Sports Division, the Scottish-based sportswear retailer it bought for pounds 229m last September. Then, Mr Whelan's goal (and he is an inveterate goalsetter) was to achieve market-leadership in the sportswear retail sector. Instead, he was criticised in the City for paying over the odds for Sports Division. JJB's shares, above 800p in March 1998, sank to 180p within weeks of the acquisition, a painful experience for Mr Whelan who owns 41 per cent of it.

The financial challenges of the merger were clear when results for the year to 31 January 1999 showed pre-tax profits had advanced less than pounds 2m to pounds 36m, including the acquisition, despite an 83 per cent increase in sales to pounds 373m. Mr Whelan blamed integration problems but it was as much to do with an overcrowded, overheating sportswear market, and 1998's cold, wet summer, which damaged sportswear sales everywhere. Mr Whelan had been hurting; marking down replica England shirts by pounds 10 went against the grain. Over the past couple of weeks there are signs that some in the City believe JJB may have turned the corner. Mr Whelan's mood as he watched from the Preston directors' box was much the sweeter for two analysts' reports, from Dresdner Kleinwort Benson and Charterhouse Securities, which judged JJB's integration of Sports Division had largely been accomplished. JJB's share price has firmed from 327.5p at the beginning of August to 350p.

At his office in the corrugated metal barn which doubles as JJB's Wigan distribution base, Mr Whelan concedes he woke more than once during the Sports Division saga with the thought, "Why have I taken on such a bloody big chunk of aggravation?" At its lowest, JJB's share price valued the group at less than the price he had paid for Sports Division. "Had I been able to buy the company back I would have done it immediately," he says. He has suffered worse. His promising career as a professional footballer with Blackburn Rovers was cut short when he broke a leg in the 1960 FA Cup Final. That was a terrible blow for a man for whom football was an escape from the coal mines, where he worked since leaving school at 15 with no qualifications. He was cast into the obscurity of Wigan's outdoor market, where he sold toiletries and groceries. There he began to learn his strength as an entrepreneur. As sales took off, he merged the two lines into a chain of 10 supermarket concessions (Whelan's Discount Stores) and sold them in 1978 for pounds 1.5m to the northern supermarket chain, William Morrison.

Mr Whelan's promotional flair was soon evident. He sent his father to walk around Wigan in a full suit of armour, bearing a placard advertising his prices. The suit stands in a corner of his office today. Although he had no need to work, Mr Whelan stayed retired for just 10 days. He said he could not bear the idea of days shopping with his wife. So he bought J J Bradburn, a Wigan sports retailer, for pounds 7,400. His first outlet, which sold fishing supplies, provides another Whelan legend. The biggest seller was maggots but a broken refrigerator - and a whiff of the possible consequences - forced him to rethink the product range. He never looked back. One store had become 119 when he floated the company in 1994 at a market capitalisation of pounds 64.5m. Perhaps the sportsman in Mr Whelan makes him use specific goals to drive himself. The Sports Division deal put market-leadership comfortably under his belt, so Mr Whelan set himself a new turnover target. "For all of us here, pounds 1bn is our driving ambition," he says.

"Everybody needs something to drive for, a new semi- detached or a holiday abroad." The flak he took from the City over the Sports Division price still seems to trouble him. "It's all right people claiming you paid too much," he says tetchily. "We did pay maybe pounds 20m over the odds but the opportunity was there." Any later and JJB's own fast-growing market share would have exceeded the OFT's 25 per cent ceiling, he believes. But it was the unforeseen baggage of the deal that drew greater attention to the price. Sports Division had deliberately underbought stock, hoping a slump in Far East markets would release cheap surplus merchandise. That slump never came, and JJB was left fielding the shortfall. Not even a size 9 Puma boot was in sight. Mr Whelan also found the 600 tills in the newly acquired stores were not Year 2000-compliant. Every store had to be shut for half a day to install new systems. Integration of the two company warehouses was tougher. They had to close for 10 days to transfer Sports Division's goods to Wigan. Advertising was pulled because Mr Whelan realised JJB could not supply the goods.

The effort to extract quick savings from the enlarged business has been furious, and bear the Whelan trademark. The closure of Sports Division's former Olympus town centre stores, due over two years, will be done in 14 months. "We've been absolutely ruthless, absolutely decimating the small stores," says Mr Whelan, with barely concealed relish. Many observers are convinced JJB is on the upturn. The 449 outlets are focused on dominating the lower end of the market and with 290 out-of- town stores JJB is the leading sportswear outlet on retail parks. Dresdner Kleinwort Benson forecasts a decline of 6 per cent for 1999 full-year like-for-like turnover, an improvement on the 14 per cent slump at the 21-week stage. Benefits for gross margins are expected as the cost-savings of the takeover emerge. Mr Whelan dates the sea-change in City opinion after he invited analysts to Wigan to see his brand of common sense at work in the warehouse. His "pickers" are paid for the number of garments they "pick" from shelves for distribution.

Most weeks, goods worth pounds 16.5m are sent to the JJB shops and the system appeals deeply to the chairman's love of honest graft. "We wanted to say to the City, `We do work our balls off. We are honest and we are stickers'," he says. "From the day they saw us here, the view of JJB has seemed slightly different." His sports teams have been a beloved distraction amid acquisition troubles. "I've been up to my eyes in Sports Division," he says with unusual affection. "The next minute the football club will be on to say, `Can we buy a player?' or, `The police won't give us a licence'." Business, he admits, has never matched the thrill of playing football. "Nothing can match it. The thrills. The lows. Everything that goes into an ordinary life is lived over 14 years for a professional footballer. Everything I've got I owe to sport." So who else could David Whelan ask to open his Wigan headquarters in 1995 but Brazil's legendary Pele? With boyish delight, Mr Whelan put a photograph of himself with Pele in the JJB foyer.

"To David Whelan, from your friend Pele," it reads. A replica Brazil shirt, also signed, is framed there too. David Whelan sells dozens of unsigned Umbro-made Brazil shirts at his nearest superstore, half a mile away. Who says business and pleasure don't mix? Fact File Turnover: pounds 373m for year to 31 January 1999 Pre-tax profit: pounds 36.1m Main business: JJB Sports distributes and sells sports goods. Ranges include replica football shirts (14 per cent of sales), T-shirts, football boots and training shoes. It also sells bicycles, golf and fitness equipment. The company operates 449 stores in the UK and a few in Spain. It seeks dominance of the lower end of the sportswear market, and became market leader, with one-third of the dedicated UK sports retail market, after buying Scottish-based Sport Division last September Key executives: Chairman, David Whelan; Managing Director, Duncan Sharpe (Mr Whelan's son-in-law); Marketing Director, Winston Higham Employees: 8,000 Going For Goals: An Action Replay 1954: David Whelan leaves the mines to sign for Blackburn Rovers.

He is paid pounds 5 a week 1960: After only 60 games, his career with the club ends when he breaks a leg in the FA Cup Final against Wolves. He will never play again. With a pounds 400 bonus for helping the team to reach the final, he sets up in Wigan market, selling toiletries 1978: The stall has become 10 supermarkets. He sells to William Morrison for pounds 1.5m, retires, then buys Wigan sports retailer JJ Bradburn for pounds 7,400 for one shop 1979: There are seven JJB stores. Sports sales boom 1983: Mr Whelan recruits his 23-year-old son-in-law Duncan Sharpe, a former golf pro, as an area manager.

He is now JJB managing director 1992: Mr Whelan buys his local pie shop, and renames the "Poole's Pie" delicacy as the Wigan Pie, which he markets in the North-west 1994: JJB Sports, now a nationwide chain, is floated at 215p a share, putting the firm's value at pounds 64.5m. Mr Whelan and family sell 6.2 million shares to raise pounds 13m but the family retains a majority stake 1997: Mr Whelan saves Wigan Rugby League club from bankruptcy and amid intense local excitement, helps bankroll the pounds 500,000 contract which brings Australian star Wendell Sailor to the town. JJB sponsors the sport's national Super League for pounds 1.5m 1998: In September, Mr Whelan buys Sports Division for pounds 229m 1999: JJB completes rebranding of all Sports Division stores 10 months ahead of schedule and closes all Sports Division town centre stores.

Mr Whelan sets pounds 1bn turnover target for the new group More about: The JJB story - by Dave Whelan - Manchester Evening News Business The JJB story - by Dave Whelan THE founder of JJB Sports, entrepreneur and former soccer player Dave Whelan, has revealed how the vision of his former company being `destroyed' forced him to end his retirement and spend more than £76m buying back its sports clubs. Mr Whelan - who also owns Wigan Athletic Football Club - publicly questions in his new autobiography* some of the business decisions taken by JJB Sports' former chief executive, Chris Ronnie. Share Get business updates directly to your inbox + Subscribe Thank you for subscribing! Could not subscribe, try again laterInvalid Email THE founder of JJB Sports, entrepreneur and former soccer player Dave Whelan, has revealed how the vision of his former company being `destroyed' forced him to end his retirement and spend more than £76m buying back its sports clubs. Mr Whelan - who also owns Wigan Athletic Football Club - publicly questions in his new autobiography* some of the business decisions taken by JJB Sports' former chief executive, Chris Ronnie.

Dave Whelan: Playing To Win charts how its author transformed a single shop in Wigan into JJB Sports - which used to be the UK's biggest sports retailer and worth £1bn. It also details how a near-death experience in January 2007 - when his body started producing an excess of iron - led Mr Whelan to sell his majority holding in JJB to Mr Ronnie. Mr Whelan writes: "Like everyone else, I watched in horror in autumn 2008 as the `credit crunch' took its toll on companies all over the world. "But one company had been in trouble before the international recession hit - and that company was JJB. "Every day I opened a newspaper there seemed to be more bad news. Stores were being closed - they shut 80 just like that, but still had to pay rent on them even when there was no income coming in. "Good staff, who I employed, were being sacked. And they'd bought some very bad businesses: Qube from Tom Hunter, for a pound, and the Original Shoe Company from Mike Ashley. "Those two alone were losing £16m a year when Chris Ronnie agreed to buy them. Why on earth would he do that?

"Worst of all, in my opinion, he struck a deal with Ashley to stock Sports Direct 's own brands from China. "It appeared the market didn't like the way the company was going either, and the share price plummeted to 12p. "It was an awful thing to see happen. A once proud company, and an important employer in Wigan, was going to the wall. I wished there was something I could do." Mr Whelan adds that when Mr Ronnie rang, offering to sell him JJB's health clubs, it was an offer he `couldn't refuse'. He writes: "I'd seen enough of my company being destroyed - if there was a chance I could save just a part of it, I'd do everything I could." The problem Mr Whelan then faced was that he needed to access £56m of his own money from Icelandic bank Kaupthing - which was in administration - to partially fund his purchase of the health clubs. Mr Whelan approached Neil Turner, MP for Wigan, who - realising that the deal would secure hundreds of jobs in Wigan and thousands nationwide - contacted the Chancellor of the Exchequer - and his money was with him within days.

He writes: "A few days after that, I was the proud owner of 54 of the best health clubs in Britain - all part of the brand new DW Sport and Fitness company. I couldn't have been happier. But if, as was looking increasingly likely, JJB ever went into receivership, then those leases would revert to the landlords. "JJB would lose their shops - and I would lose my gyms. There was only one way round it. If I was serious about securing the health clubs then I had to buy the shops as well. I have to admit, it was a means to an end, nothing more. "As I write today, more than 30 years after I founded JJB, I am once again the owner of 51 sports superstores and the employer of 1,500 people all over the country. And I can't wait to get started." *Dave Whelan - Playing To Win: An Autobiography is published today by Aurum Press at £18.99.

Like us on Facebook Most Read Most Recent JJB goes into administration – with 133 shop closures and 2,200 job losses | Business | The Guardian JJB goes into administration – with 133 shop closures and 2,200 job losses Administrators sell 20 JJB stores to Mike Ashley's Sports Direct, saving 550 jobs in the UK There had been hopes that Mike Ashley would acquire 60 JJB shops, safeguarding more than 1,000 jobs. Photograph: David Moir/Reuters JJB goes into administration – with 133 shop closures and 2,200 job losses Administrators sell 20 JJB stores to Mike Ashley's Sports Direct, saving 550 jobs in the UK Monday 1 October 2012 13.52 EDT First published on Monday 1 October 2012 13.52 EDT Close This article is 4 years old JJB Sports , once Britain's biggest sports retailer, finally collapsed into administration last night after weeks of negotiations failed to secure the future of 133 shops and 2,200 staff.

The Wigan-based company, which was worth more than £1bn in its heyday, called in administrators from KPMG on Monday after attempts to sell the business foundered, despite initial interest from more than 100 parties including the company's founder Dave Whelan. The administrators only managed to sell 20 JJB stores, the brand and the website to its arch-rival Sports Direct for £24m, saving 550 jobs in the UK, including warehouse staff. The shops are expected to be rebranded as Sports Direct. Sports Direct, controlled by Newcastle United FC owner Mike Ashley , has also snapped up all of JJB's stock and the Slazenger Golf brand licences, as well as the company's headquarters in Wigan, a freehold property. However, the remaining 133 JJB stores shut on Monday leaving 2,200 people out of work. Some 167 employees have been retained to help the administrators but will lose their jobs once their work is done. The sale proceeds will be used to repay some of JJB's £45m debt to its lender, Lloyds Banking Group and other secured creditors, US group Dick's Sporting Goods and Adidas.

But shareholders will go empty-handed, while suppliers – Nike, Adidas and Umbro – and landlords will get very little, if anything. The shares were worth less than a penny when they were suspended. There had been hopes that Whelan, a former Blackburn Rovers footballer who is now chairman of Wigan Athletic, would step in to save the stricken company that he founded in 1971 when he turned a Wigan fishing tackle shop, JJ Bradburns, into a sports store. In 1994, the 120-store chain floated on the London Stock Exchange and four years later, the acquisition of Sports Division, its largest competitor at the time, turned it into the largest sports retailer in the UK. Richard Fleming, UK head of restructuring at KPMG, said: "Successive attempts to restructure the business, both financially and operationally, have not been enough to prevent the company falling into administration. Unfortunately a buyer could only be found for 20 stores on a going-concern basis." All staff made redundant have had their arrears of wages and holiday entitlements paid in full.

David McCorquodale, corporate finance partner at KPMG who led the sales process, said he and his team had spoken to more than 100 parties in the first few days of their appointment and eight trade and private equity players went on to table first round bids. "Unfortunately the level of cash and further operational restructuring required to rescue a more substantial part of the business was too much risk for most interested parties," he said. "We hope to be able to sell the leasehold interests of some of the remaining stores, which may result in re-employment of some staff." JJB never recovered after a series of poor acquisitions saddled it with debt during chief executive Chris Ronnie's tenure between 2007 and 2009, although some believe its problems started much earlier. Analysts say JJB's management lacked the expertise to keep up with Sports Direct's aggressive expansion and strategy of acquiring brands such as Lonsdale and Dunlop, while JJB's clothing business was also hammered by competition from supermarkets and discount chains such as Primark.

Two company voluntary arrangements in 2009 and 2011 – legal agreements designed to reduce rent costs for struggling retailers – shrank the store portfolio but failed to save the business. JJB put itself up for sale in August this year after warning it could run out of money. It had been kept afloat thanks to the support of a core group of investors – Invesco, Harris Associates, Crystal Amber and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation – but by then shareholders' patience had worn thin and they refused to pump any more money into the beleaguered retailer. The British Property Federation said that landlords had been hit especially hard by JJB's collapse. Liz Peace, the federation's chief executive, said: "Having played their part in twice saving JJB from administration, taking a financial hit in the process, landlords will be understandably frustrated and left wondering whether the pain was really worth it." She added: "We can only hope that the timing of the administration isn't an attempt to avoid paying rent on the 20 units which have been sold." Rent owed to a landlord prior to the appointment of administrators is not treated as a cost of the administration.

This has in the past led to tenants being put into administration just after quarter day – the last one was on Saturday – so they can use the premises for the remainder of the quarter without having to pay rent, she said. Christopher Sheldon, who was made redundant in 2009, said: "Chris Ronnie ruined the reputation of the company in his short tenure of JJB. It never recovered from the mismanagement. It's a sad day but not a surprise." With Britain mired in a double-dip recession, JJB has followed other well-known retailers into administration, including outdoor retailer Blacks Leisure and discount fashion chain Peacocks last year. Dave Whelan - Biography - IMDb Dave Whelan Jump to: Overview (1) | Mini Bio (1) Overview (1) 24 November 1936 , Bradford, West Yorkshire, England, UK Mini Bio (1) Dave Whelan is a successful businessman and a former professional association footballer. He began his career playing in the English Football League from 1956 to 1966.

Playing for Blackburn Rovers, then in the First Division, his career in the upper echelon came to an abrupt end at the 1960 FA Cup Final, when he broke his leg after a hefty tackle. After a year out of the game he reentered the Fourth Division, playing for Crewe Alexandra before finally retiring in 1966. Before finishing his career as an athlete he had already begun his successful foray into business, beginning as the owner of a chain of what would become supermarkets. In 1977 he acquired JJB Sports and built it into a successful chain of sports goods shops. JJB Sports was named for its original founder John J. Broughton. Later it would become DW Sports, named after Dave Whelan himself. In 1995 he was able to acquire the football team he supported from childhood, Wigan Athletic AFC, which club he still owns a controlling interest in, although he was recently forced to step down from the role of chairman due to bad publicity surrounding some controversial public statements.

Under his aegis, Wigan entered the Premier League in 2004, and although they were relegated in 2013, in that year they won their first ever major domestic trophy, the FA Cup. Dave Whelan Barbados - Dave Whelan Net Worth Dave Whelan Barbados Read more... Dave Whelan Dave Whelan Net Worth is $210 Million. Dave Whelan is Businessperson | Football player. Dave Whelan Date of Birth is 1936-11-24. Dave Whelan Country is Bradford.. David "Dave" Whelan (born 24 November 1936) is a former professional football player with Blackburn Rovers and Crewe ... Dave Whelan Net Worth is $210 Million. Dave Whelan Net Worth is $210 Million. Dave Whelan is Businessperson | Football player. Dave Whelan Date of Birth is 1936-11-24. Dave Whelan Country is Bradford. David "Dave" Whelan is a former professional football player with Blackburn Rovers and Crewe Alexandra who now owns Wigan Athletic.

He is the former owner of JJB Sports and the current owner of the DW Stadium where Wigan Athletic and Wigan Warriors RLFC play. A prominent supporter of the Conservative Party, in 2008 he donated ??250,000 to the Party and in 2013 he stirred controversy with his call for a mandatory minute's silence at all football games upon the death of Margaret Thatcher. Whelan was born in Bradford and raised in Wigan. Whelan was a member of Blackburn Rovers' 1960 FA Cup Final team, which lost 3-0 to Wolverhampton Wanderers. Whelan himself did not complete the game, breaking a leg during the first half. Whelan's injury is one of many serious injuries suffered by players in the 1950-60 era and was known as the Wembley hoodoo. Following his leg break, Whelan was sold to Crewe Alexandra F.C. where he played for several years before ...

Question: Who is the chairman of Wigan Athletic who also owns the chain of sports shops known as JJB Sports?
Answer: DAVE WHELAN