JD Sports Leaves Ashley Trailing With ‘Astonishing’ Growth
- U.K. sports retailer reports 66% profit gain as rival lags
- Customers attracted to exclusive ranges from Adidas, Nike
An employee stacks Lacoste SA polo-shirts, manufactured by Lacoste SA, at a JD Sports Fashion Plc sportswear retail store on Oxford Street in London.
Photographer: Luke MacGregor/BloombergThis article is for subscribers only.
JD Sports Fashion Plc reported first-half earnings growth that showed why it has surged past Mike Ashley’s Sports Direct International Plc among U.K. athletic-gear retailers.
Underlying pretax profit jumped 66 percent to 77.4 million pounds ($103 million), the Bury, England-based company said Tuesday, an outcome described as “astonishing” by independent retail analyst Nick Bubb. The shares rose as much as 8.3 percent to a record.