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| Sports Direct's open day at notorious warehouse is not quite glasnost Sports Direct's open day at notorious warehouse is not quite glasnost | |
| (about 13 hours later) | |
| After “the gulag” – the name Shirebrook locals use to describe the Sports Direct warehouse – came glasnost. | After “the gulag” – the name Shirebrook locals use to describe the Sports Direct warehouse – came glasnost. |
| That was the message from Sports Direct as the embattled retailer held its much heralded “open day” during its annual shareholder meeting on Wednesday, when it treated investors and the media to a tour around its Shirebrook warehouse, which had been variously compared to something out of Dickens or a Soviet work camp. | That was the message from Sports Direct as the embattled retailer held its much heralded “open day” during its annual shareholder meeting on Wednesday, when it treated investors and the media to a tour around its Shirebrook warehouse, which had been variously compared to something out of Dickens or a Soviet work camp. |
| This was all part of the latest PR campaign by the sportswear retailer to rejuvenate an image shredded by a series of scandals relating to working conditions at its depot, which prompted the publication on Tuesday of an internal report into where the company had gone so wrong. | This was all part of the latest PR campaign by the sportswear retailer to rejuvenate an image shredded by a series of scandals relating to working conditions at its depot, which prompted the publication on Tuesday of an internal report into where the company had gone so wrong. |
| Some of the report’s findings made uncomfortable reading for the board, which was forced to apologise for “serious shortcomings”. But the document was billed as forming the basis of a supposed new era of candour from the company, before investors were led off to see for themselves. | Some of the report’s findings made uncomfortable reading for the board, which was forced to apologise for “serious shortcomings”. But the document was billed as forming the basis of a supposed new era of candour from the company, before investors were led off to see for themselves. |
| The show, however, was a disappointment. This was not a tour of the huge, bustling, Shirebrook warehouse where Guardian undercover reporters revealed last year how the company had broken the law by paying its workers less than the national minimum wage. | The show, however, was a disappointment. This was not a tour of the huge, bustling, Shirebrook warehouse where Guardian undercover reporters revealed last year how the company had broken the law by paying its workers less than the national minimum wage. |
| Instead, the crowd of about 120 observers, all dressed in bright yellow hi-vis jackets, were shown around Sports Direct’s spacious new facility, gleaming white walls and all. It even smelled new and freshly painted – meaning it was tempting to conclude that shareholders were actually witnessing a whitewash at the workhouse. | Instead, the crowd of about 120 observers, all dressed in bright yellow hi-vis jackets, were shown around Sports Direct’s spacious new facility, gleaming white walls and all. It even smelled new and freshly painted – meaning it was tempting to conclude that shareholders were actually witnessing a whitewash at the workhouse. |
| Despite the pledges of a new transparency, the spectators barely saw any of Sports Direct’s 4,000 warehouse workers (had they been abolished along with the “six strikes and you’re out” policy?). And when workers were spotted, the visitors were separated from them by a line of large Sports Direct security staff. Not that that mattered. Those who broke through reported that the workers were unanimous: Shirebrook was actually a splendid place to work. | Despite the pledges of a new transparency, the spectators barely saw any of Sports Direct’s 4,000 warehouse workers (had they been abolished along with the “six strikes and you’re out” policy?). And when workers were spotted, the visitors were separated from them by a line of large Sports Direct security staff. Not that that mattered. Those who broke through reported that the workers were unanimous: Shirebrook was actually a splendid place to work. |
| If that felt strange, there were other peculiar differences, too. | If that felt strange, there were other peculiar differences, too. |
| The tannoy – which when the Guardian and Channel 4 had visited last year occasionally harangued staff – never barked any orders at all, either in English or Polish. | The tannoy – which when the Guardian and Channel 4 had visited last year occasionally harangued staff – never barked any orders at all, either in English or Polish. |
| Meanwhile, the only person who was put through a security search was the billionaire founder, Mike Ashley. He emptied his pockets and out popped a huge wad of notes. | Meanwhile, the only person who was put through a security search was the billionaire founder, Mike Ashley. He emptied his pockets and out popped a huge wad of notes. |
| “Everything you will see today was not actually functioning 15 months ago,” said Ashley – in what might have been viewed as another poke at his scapegoated chief executive, Dave Forsey – before he swiftly returned to his favourite point that the “sheer scale and size” of his warehouses meant it was inevitable he would make mistakes. | “Everything you will see today was not actually functioning 15 months ago,” said Ashley – in what might have been viewed as another poke at his scapegoated chief executive, Dave Forsey – before he swiftly returned to his favourite point that the “sheer scale and size” of his warehouses meant it was inevitable he would make mistakes. |
| The new warehouse, which is around the same size as its controversial neighbour, is so hi-tech that it will soon be fitted with a conveyor belt to “improve the rate at which orders can be picked”. | The new warehouse, which is around the same size as its controversial neighbour, is so hi-tech that it will soon be fitted with a conveyor belt to “improve the rate at which orders can be picked”. |
| “This will hugely speed it up,” enthused the boss, as if he had stumbled on a startling technological discovery. “It’s not available in the old warehouse.” | “This will hugely speed it up,” enthused the boss, as if he had stumbled on a startling technological discovery. “It’s not available in the old warehouse.” |
| Well, quite. There, undercover reporters discovered last year that packers were walking close to 20 miles on each eight-hour shift. | Well, quite. There, undercover reporters discovered last year that packers were walking close to 20 miles on each eight-hour shift. |
| Many complained that the work they were being asked to do was impossible to fit into the timeframe agency bosses allowed them. Apart from the odd handheld scanner, the most advanced piece of technology on offer to many seemed to be a ballpoint pen. | Many complained that the work they were being asked to do was impossible to fit into the timeframe agency bosses allowed them. Apart from the odd handheld scanner, the most advanced piece of technology on offer to many seemed to be a ballpoint pen. |
| But if the shiny new warehouse was supposed to represent a glimpse of the shiny new Sports Direct, cracks did sometimes appear. | But if the shiny new warehouse was supposed to represent a glimpse of the shiny new Sports Direct, cracks did sometimes appear. |
| Ashley, who had earlier completely lost his temper with Unite’s assistant general secretary, Steve Turner, after the trade unionist had the temerity to ask a question, seemed to be continually fighting to keep his real emotions in check. | Ashley, who had earlier completely lost his temper with Unite’s assistant general secretary, Steve Turner, after the trade unionist had the temerity to ask a question, seemed to be continually fighting to keep his real emotions in check. |
| He insisted he had acted as soon as he had read the Guardian’s reports that the company was failing to pay the national minimum wage, after staff were held unpaid at the end of shifts to be searched. | He insisted he had acted as soon as he had read the Guardian’s reports that the company was failing to pay the national minimum wage, after staff were held unpaid at the end of shifts to be searched. |
| This was obviously wrong, he added, but then gave the impression of being rather irked that his company’s legal breaches had been exposed. | This was obviously wrong, he added, but then gave the impression of being rather irked that his company’s legal breaches had been exposed. |
| “He’s not my favourite person, the Guardian man,” he told his crowd. “Where is he?” | “He’s not my favourite person, the Guardian man,” he told his crowd. “Where is he?” |
| The question was later more apt in reverse, when Ashley went missing for an hour from the question-and-answer session, just as it was emerging that a majority of independent shareholders had voted against the reappointment of Keith Hellawell as chairman. | The question was later more apt in reverse, when Ashley went missing for an hour from the question-and-answer session, just as it was emerging that a majority of independent shareholders had voted against the reappointment of Keith Hellawell as chairman. |
| The spirit of openness did not extend to giving a reason for his absence, although even Ashley’s harshest critics might struggle to accuse him of hiding. The billionaire, once described as the UK’s answer to the reclusive Howard Hughes, was giving a rare television interview. | The spirit of openness did not extend to giving a reason for his absence, although even Ashley’s harshest critics might struggle to accuse him of hiding. The billionaire, once described as the UK’s answer to the reclusive Howard Hughes, was giving a rare television interview. |