Ashley asks govt if Evans Cycles can open in lockdown spat

The battle of wills between Sports Direct owner Mike Ashley and the government over the coronavirus lockdown took a further twist on Tuesday as the millionaire said he had asked whether his Evans Cycles stores could be kept open.

In a terse one-line statement only hours after a wave of criticism forced a u-turn of the company's plan to defy the ban and keep its stores open, Ashley's group company Frasers said it had sought clarification.

“Frasers Group asked the Prime Minister Boris Johnson last night whether we should keep Evans Cycles stores open, currently they are closed,” it stated.

Sports Direct was forced to scrap the plan to stay open less than 12 hours after stating its stores were essential for people to stay fit.

Johnson ordered the closure of all non-essential shops on Monday to curb the spread of Covid-19. He said only key workers should travel to work and people could leave their homes for essentials such as food or medicine and could take exercise once a day and specifically mentioned cycling as an option.

The finance director of Sports Direct's parent Frasers Group wrote to staff to say Sports Direct and its Evans Cycles stores would stay open to serve people wanting to exercise at home.

"We stock a huge range of sports equipment designed for exercising at home … indeed home fitness is the number one trending topic on social media after coronavirus itself," Chris Wooton wrote, according to the Press Association news agency.

"We are uniquely well placed to help keep the UK as fit and healthy as possible during this crisis and thus our Sports Direct and Evans Cycles stores will remain open where possible to allow us to do this (in accordance with the government's current social distancing guidance)."

Ashley bought Evans Cycles in a pre-pack administration for £8m in October 2018.