We can sum up our vision in four major points, they are as follows:
- At number one we strive to offer the best value for our customers, whilst also offering the best quality. We are also willing to expand beyond the horizon and become not only one of the biggest companies in the country, but one of the largest companies within Europe.
- Talented candidates who offer extraordinary effort will be valued greatly within the company to help achieve this vision.
- We are the number one sports retailer in the UK and we want to not only keep it this way but become the number one sports retailer in Europe as well.
- We have already started our expansion and with this comes the need for innovative employee’s willing to join one of the most successful companies in the history of the UK.
The Group’s UK stores (other than Field & Trek) supply a wide range of competitively priced sports and leisure equipment, clothing, footwear and accessories. We stock third-party brands including adidas, Nike, Reebok and Puma. We stock Group-owned brands including Dunlop, Slazenger and Lonsdale, and we also stock licensed-in brands.
The Group has retail interests outside the UK and has a flexible approach to entry into new markets. These interests include wholly owned retail outlets (trading as Sports Direct), joint ventures with other retailers (such as in Heatons stores in Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland) and stores within another retailer’s store.
As part of the accelerated growth programme in our European subsidiary, in FY13 we opened 19 new stores in Europe and entered into four new countries. As of 28 April 2013, International Retail operated from a total retail sales space of c. 1.1m sq. ft. In conjunction with the acquisition announced in Austria and the Baltic region, we are now active in 19 countries across Europe.
The head office is based in the old mining town of Shirebrook, Derbyshire near Mansfield. This is where you will be based on your graduate placement. It is based on the old site of the Shirebrook Colliery on a new business park. Located only 10 mins from the M1, the business park is surrounded by beautiful scenery including vast woodland areas. A large proportion of employees live within the local area of Mansfield and some driving for half an hour from Nottingham and Sheffield. Graduates will be offered letting agencies near Mansfield and Shirebrook so travel will not be a problem. With access to the train station which is on the Robin Hood line, along with bus services from Mansfield.
The local area offers lots of outdoor activities with the peak district, Sherwood Forest and the Derbyshire dales all within a short car drive. Furthermore the area is extremely cheap for a large proportion of things, such as cheap drinks, houses and food. If you go into Mansfield, there are a large range of shops you would expect any large town to have, with Nottingham and Sheffield providing and much larger variety of shopping facilities.