Rangers Retail comes back from the dead as Sports Direct speculation grows

With speculation that the eight figure (that is £10m plus for any Aston Villa manager reading this) compensation bill for Sports Direct is about to land, Rangers Retail has been revived with the appointment of James Blair as Secretary on Monday. 

Blair is a trusted confidant of Dave King who once sat on the Rangers International board and also Club 1872 to give the South African based businessman an eye on each camp. 

Rangers Retail was formed in 2012 alongside the new club with Sports Direct holding a 51% stake as they produced and sold kit for the new start through their vast retail arm. It was a sound move by Charles Green that gave the club a high street presence and profile while Ally McCoist, Kevin Kyle, Ian Black and the Loyal Lee’s battled it out with Stranraer, Annan Athletic, Peterhead and Stirling Albion. 

With Dave King agitating for control Rangers Retail became a battleground. In June 2017 King announced victory, obedient bears snapped up puma kit on order from their leader only to find out that the club had paid £3m to break the contract with a new matching contract put in place for the summer of 2018. 

King tried another fast move by ditching Sports Direct and Puma for Hummell, big Mike took action with just the full extent of compensation to be agreed. Hummell pulled out halfway through their three year deal. 

In June 2021, after two years without publishing any accounts notice was given that Rangers Retail would be struck off, two months later that action was suspended with Blair’s appointment announced yesterday. Blair seems to be King’s eyes on the Sports Direct deal which is the only business that Rangers Retail has ever concluded.

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