Sports Direct International plc (LSE: SPD) is a British retailing group.
Founded in 1982 by former county squash coach Mike Ashley, the company is now the UK's largest sporting retailer through a number of retail subsidiaries and sports equipment brands.
Although now a publicly traded company on the London Stock Exchange, Ashley continues to hold around 71% of Sports Direct as of July 2009.
The company is also a constituent of the FTSE 250 Index.
The company was founded by Mike Ashley in 1982 as a single store in Maidenhead trading under the name of Mike Ashley Sports.
Source: Wikipedia
