Retailers don't need Mike Ashley to tell them how bad things are | Larry Elliott

Sports Direct boss warns that November trading was the ‘worst on record’ – but he’s not aloneMike Ashley is not everyone’s favourite retailer, but the boss of Sports Direct certainly knows a thing or two about his industry. So when he says that November trading was the “worst on record, unbelievably bad” it’s worth taking notice.To be sure, the Ashley warning needs to be in context. When he said that some retailers would be smashed to pieces, one o