James Moore: Blacks was let down by past management
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Outlook: Another day goes by, another retailer goes pop. This time it is Black's Leisure, and perhaps the only surprise is the fact that it's been able to limp along for as long as it has.
Given that people will spend a small fortune on equipment to torment themselves in the great outdoors it ought to make money but, as ever, has been let down by past (bad) management saddling it with unmanageable costs and debt based on grossly over-optimistic assessments of what it could become.
A buyer will be found, thanks to the ever-popular "pre-pack" administration allowing the business to shed a lot of bad bits.
The Dragon's Den star Peter Jones was interested, but this was a red herring (generating some nice publicity all the same).
The real battle is probably between Sports Direct (Black's biggest shareholder) and JD Sports. And the chances are it will continue long after the deal is done, particularly if the latter emerges as the winner.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments