// Sports Direct signs lease on former Debenhams store in Galway
// The retailer has about 60 stores in Ireland but this is its first in Galway
Sports Direct has reportedly signed a lease on the former Debenhams store in Galway as it eyes UK and Ireland expansion.
The sportswear retailer has about 60 stores in Ireland but this is its first in Galway. The premises is located on the Eyre Street side of the Corrib shopping centre.
Owner Mike Ashley had placed a failed bid for Debenhams after the department store chain collapsed last year.
READ MORE: Sports Direct’s new “Equal Play” to address “shocking” inequalities in sport
In February, the retailer announced a €2 million, five-year sponsorship deal with Cork GAA, the publicity for which was headlined by Ian Maguire, the Cork senior captain.
Sports Direct said it planned to increase its sponsorship of grassroots Gaelic sport from five to 11 clubs nationwide.
The company said it is looking for opportunities in Ireland, The Times reported.
The expansion of its business comes weeks after parent company Frasers Group warned of a hit of more than €230 million due to Covid-19.
The company, which also owns House of Fraser, reported revenues of £1.9 billion in the half-year to October.
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