IRELAND'S biggest seller of books, magazines and newspapers Eason is to relocate next year from its main store on Cork city's St Patrick's Street.

Sports Direct shareholders are set to vote on whether the group rebrands as Frasers Group, as it also reports how sales performed during a tough six months for retailers.

Shares in Sports Direct International plunged after its auditor quit without a replacement, heightening corporate governance concerns at the retailer controlled by billionaire Mike Ashley.

Debenhams has appointed a turnaround expert to lead the business, as it prepares to close stores and rebuild performance after being put into administration earlier this year.

Shares in Sports Direct plunged to a new eight-year low as investors reacted to the farcical scenes on Friday when Mike Ashley’s company delayed its results until nearly an hour after the stock market closed.

Retailer Sports Direct has delayed publishing its annual results, warning that problems in integrating its purchase of House of Fraser stores and increased scrutiny of its accounts could affect the financial guidance it gave in December.

Exceptional costs at the Irish arm of the troubled retailer Debenhams contributed to its pre-tax loss soaring to over €20.6m last year.

Irish branches of Debenhams have avoided cuts with 22 shops in the UK set to close their doors.

Millennials’ fondness for athleisure wear helped retailer JD Sports Fashion defy Britain’s retail gloom and beat full-year earnings expectations.

Concerns persist for the hundreds of staff employed at 16 Debenhams stores in the Republic and the North as Debenhams said it was trading as normal despite its UK holding company going into administration.

Sports Direct’s £150m (€175m) rescue offer for Debenhams has been rejected, putting the high street retailer on course for a probable administration.

Debenhams is to seek €230 million in new financing and pursue a restructuring plan in a move which could wipe out existing shareholders including Mike Ashley.

Debenhams issued another profit warning as it thrashes out a restructuring deal with landlords, local authorities, and creditors which will lead to it closing at least 50 stores.

Causeway Capital, an Irish-based equity fund, has bought out the Patisserie Valerie coffee-and-cake chain from British administrators, showing its faith in troubled UK retailing.

Debenhams is drawing up plans to shake up its property portfolio, in a move that could speed up the rate of store closures this year.

Audrey's been sorting out Cork people for ages...

Marks & Spencer is expected to report another fall in underlying sales in both clothing and food in its Christmas quarter, while the major grocers are forecast to show a slowdown in growth as the discounters march on.

Audrey has been sorting out Cork people for ages...

Mike Ashley’s Sports Direct International must hand over documents as part of a UK accounting regulator’s investigation into its 2016 financial results, a London judge has ruled. The retailer’s shares tumbled.

Shares in UK high street retailer Debenhams,which has 16 stores in the Republic and the North, plunged over 10% as it confirmed it was considering “longer-term options”, including possible further store closures.

British DIY retailer Homebase has identified three Irish stores for potential closure as part of its cost- cutting plans.

The Mandate Trade Union said there remains a level of concern among more than 200 staff at the House of Fraser store in Dundrum Town Centre — the sole outlet in the Republic — despite Sports Direct, the retailer controlled by Newcastle United owner Mike Ashley, snapping up the department store group’s UK stores from its administrators.

Newcastle remains up for sale despite the collapse of talks with Amanda Staveley’s PCP Capital Partners.

PCP Capital Partners, the investment firm run by British businesswoman Amanda Staveley, is interested in bidding around £300m (€340m) for Newcastle United after owner Mike Ashley put the Premier League club up for sale, according to a source.

Mike Ashley's turbulent decade as Newcastle's owner could be over by Christmas after the club was officially put up for sale.

British fashion retailer French Connection Group reported a drop in profit for the half-year due to the closure of some of its stores.

The embattled chairman of British retailer Sports Direct survived a vote to oust him by a slim margin, after he said he would resign if a majority of independent shareholders voted against him for a third time.

Sports Direct's under fire chairman Keith Hellawell has escaped a full-blown investor revolt after the majority of independent shareholders backed his re-election.

Mike Ashley's Sports Direct has been accused of reneging on a promise to offer guaranteed hours to staff on zero hour contracts in a fresh blow to the company ahead of its annual meeting.

In the tumultuous year since Mike Ashley returned as chief executive of Sports Direct, the UK retail tycoon has stepped up his deal-making, snapping up everything from a lingerie brand to US sellers of outdoor gear.

Newcastle United owner and Sports Direct boss Mike Ashley is suing a business associate over a golf course deal.

British retailer Sports Direct has reported a 29% slump in full-year earnings after failing to hedge against a weaker pound, but its shares rose on a forecast of growth this year and hopes management was getting its house in order.

Newcastle United manager Rafa Benitez has confirmed Daryl Murphy is on his way out but Rob Elliot is on course to start their Premier League return as his No 1.

Newcastle United owner and Sports Direct boss Mike Ashley talked beer, football and Indian restaurants as he completed his evidence at a High Court trial after being sued by a finance expert.

Newcastle United owner and sportswear firm boss Mike Ashley would lie under tables and "take a nap" at meetings he found boring, a finance expert embroiled in a High Court fight with the businessman has told a judge.

Sports Direct and Newcastle United owner Mike Ashley is embroiled in a High Court fight with Rangers over a merchandise deal said to result in the Scottish club getting about 7p of every £1 spent.

Sports Direct bosses have insisted they had no knowledge of an undercover recording device which a group of MPs said they found during an unannounced visit to the firm's controversial Derbyshire warehouse.