Sports Direct group 'in trouble' as MPs seek meeting with founder

Sports Direct founder Mike Ashley has admitted his company is 'in trouble', as MPs continued their fight to bring him to Parliament for questioning over his firm's treatment of workers.

The retailer has seen its shares tumble after founder Mike Ashley admitted the group would see a fall in profits this year.

Shares in the group, which runs 400 stores across the UK, fell 9% as Mr Ashley blamed MPs for generating negative publicity about the group and affecting its performance.

The company issued a warning over profits in January after poor trading amid unusually warm weather over the Christmas period.

MPs have repeated their call for Mr Ashley to be questioned in Parliament in June about the way his company treats its workers.

He has refused to meet the Business Select Committee in London, offering instead to give MPs a tour of his head office in Shirebrook in Derbyshire.

He made it clear he has no intention of agreeing to be questioned by the committee on June 7.

As well as being the founder of Sports Direct, he is also its deputy chairman and the owner of Newcastle United.