Sports Direct went to court (9 April) today to launch its claim against Newcastle United, over an exclusive kit deal between the football club and JD Sports.

Frasers Group, which owns the sports retailer, is seeking £1.5m worth of damages after insisting Newcastle Utd, which was previously owned by Mike Ashley, was abusing its dominant position in the market by blocking the retailer from selling its new Adidas kit for the 2024-25.

While the Competition and Appeals Tribunal is forecast to hear the case today, a date for the verdict has not yet been set.

The update comes after Mike Ashley sued the club over its next season’s football kit last month.

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His remarks followed reports that rival sporting giant JD Sports was given exclusive rights to sell the kits, effectively excluding Sports Direct from the market, documents showed.

The claim Sports Direct submitted said the sale of replica kits was vital in attracting shoppers to sports retailers.

By not supplying Sports Direct with 50,900 units of Newcastle merchandise, the retailer said it was missing out on profits equating to £1.5m.

The legal action marked the most recent confrontation between Ashley and Newcastle’s new owners.

Previous disputes have revolved around the terms of a loan used for the takeover and the removal of Sports Direct branding at St James’ Park.

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