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Sports Direct USA: Fall in Sterling, Supermarket Price War Leads to £ 15 M Loss Share Share Share Email Sports Direct USA — Both...

Sports Direct USA: Fall in Sterling, Supermarket Price War Leads to £ 15 M Loss

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Sports Direct USA — Both Sports Direct and online grocer Ocado will be giving out updates next week. Unfortunately, there may be more bad news than good. The fall in sterling and the price war has not yet diminished.

Manager Mike Ashley will be reporting the half year results soon and the supposed fall in the value of the pound. For some, this may have been expected as the company has been involved in many controversies in the past months, and this has finally revealed a lot.

They expected to earn nearly £300 million in profit, which they had already placed in the papers. However, it looks like they will be £15 million short as they are only gaining £285 million. The full results will be announced after Ashley faces the numerous controversies, as per Belfast Telegraph.

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“Wary of the extent to which Sports Direct is being required to change commercially as the major brands demand a better showcase,” says Numist analyst Andrew Wade. “We see a limited scope for a material profit recovery in the next few years and retain our neutral stance.”

On the other hand, Ocado will also be giving their own updates next week as they are now in their fourth quarter. On a more positive note compared to Ashley’s Sports Direct, Ocado is expected to have a rise in gross sales. This is basing on the previous trends.

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From their third quarter, they saw a 15.4 percent increase in gross sales which reached up to £314 million. Retail sales went up as well to £286.4 million at 13.6 percent. This is all amidst a supermarket price war, as per Retail Gazette (blog).

“Looking ahead to the fourth quarter, we expect similar trends to play out, with strong order growth but basket size continuing to decline,” says Wade. “Look for retail sales growth of plus-13 percent.”

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For more news on Sports Direct USA and other updates, click here.

The best women's dumbbells & how to choose the right size for any exercise

Forget what they say about diamonds, dumbbells really are a girls' best friend! Inexpensive, compact, easy to use and usually pretty cute to boot, picking your favourite pair of dumbbells from our selection is going to be a breeze. If you'd rather work out at home than hit the gym or just like to lift on those lazy mornings where you can't face running, then dumbbells are the ultimate workout equipment. We get to grips with which size you should be using for any exercise and take you through our top choices, so you're sure to find the perfect dumbbells, whether it's bicep curls or lateral raises you're doing.

Dumbbell confusion

Yeah, we know, choosing the right weight can be confusing, given that there are so many options out there. If you're new to strength training or getting into lifting, it's crucial to start with lighter weights and gradually increase as your muscles get stronger. One size doesn't necessarily fit all exercises either, since you'll need to lift a heavier weight for bicep curls than for tricep curls (because the biceps are stronger muscles!) Luckily, we've come up with this quick cheat sheet that will help you choose a starting weight for any exercise - check it out. Remember, you can gradually increase the weights you're using as you get stronger.

Exercise What part of the body is worked? Recommended weight for beginners Bicep curls Biceps: inside of upper arms Five to eight pounds (2-3.5kg) in each hand Lateral raises Deltoids and trapezius: shoulders and upper back Two to five pounds (1-2.5kg) in each hand Bent-over rows Deltoids, trapezius, and triceps: shoulders, upper back, and outside of upper arms Two to five pounds in each hand Upright rows Deltoids, trapezius, and biceps: shoulders, upper back, and inside of upper arms Two to five pounds in each hand Triceps kickbacks Triceps: outside of upper arms Two to five pounds in each hand Chest presses Pectoralis: chest 12 to 45 pounds (body bar) Overhead shoulder presses Deltoids, trapezius, and pectoralis: shoulders, upper back, and upper chest Two to five pounds in each hand Overhead triceps extensions Deltoids and triceps: shoulders and outside of upper arms Two to five pounds in each hand Squats Deltoids and triceps: shoulders and outside of upper arms Zero (just your own body weight) to 45 pounds Our top 10

We've come up with a list of our top 10 dumbbells which offer great value for money - check them out!

Ranging in price from £5.99 to £40 on Amazon, these brightly coloured Neoprene dumbbells won't slip out of sweaty hands, and they're available from 0.5kg to 5kg weights, perfect for any kind of exercise. They even have flat bottoms, so they won't roll away.

If you're looking for a handy set of dumbbells with a stand, look no further! This set contains 2 x 1kg, 2 x 2kg and 2 x 3kg neoprene coated dumbbells in a handy stand, so you can create your own home gym (or just stash them behind the sofa or in your wardrobe! The non-slip coating makes these easy to use and you can gradually increase the weight as your muscles get stronger. Pick these up on Amazon for just £24.99.

If you're looking for something a little different to traditional neoprene dumbbells, these hand weights from USA Pro are perfect. Ranging from 1kg to 2.5kg, they're ideal for lateral raises, tricep kickbacks and squats, and they cost just £3.99 (sold individually, rather than in pairs!) You can pick these up over at Sports Direct.

If you're starting out with strength workouts, this set of 1kg and 1.5kg weights is perfect. Made from the same PVC coating as the single USA Pro hand weights, this set will cost you just £10.50 right now over at Sports Direct - great if you're on a budget!

These 2kg dumbbells are perfect for home use and a great weight for a range of exercises, even if you're a fitness beginner! Costing just £6 for two, pick up a pair today and enjoy toned arms and stronger shoulders in no time!

York's workout gear is top-notch and this 2.5kg red fitbell has a non-slip grip and vinyl coating, so it's easy to use; it even has a flat head design, so it won't roll away! Perfect for those overhead shoulder presses that can strengthen your shoulders and help to prevent injury, pick up a couple of these today!

With a 1kg, 2kg and 3kg pair of dumbbells, this stylish tree looks great, so you'll be happy to leave it out on display in your home. Tone up and lose weight, or just get some strength exercises in before your morning run with this value for money set. We love the bright colours and ergonomic shape of these weights and the set is just £29.99 at Argos!

READ THIS NEXT: 10 reasons women should start lifting weights today 

The new transfer process

Oohhh, a crusty Draxler

Well, there’s a serious drought of daily news. Papers are still pushing Kaboul to Arsenal. It’s not a funny joke… but look, we nabbed Silvestre for a year. So anything is possible. I hope Ivan has Wenger’s list now. If it contains any players like Kaboul or Park, lock him in his office until he comes out with something better.

I also hope this summer, Ivan has a new process for transfers.

1. Arsene what are the positions you need recruiting for this summer? He should have been asking this all year so he could work out consistencies.

2. Right now Arsene, tell me the players you want.

i. Mega players £30m+ii. Good unknowns £15m+iii. Back ups £14.9m<

3. Now, prioritise those positions.

Once Ivan has all that data, he and Dick Law go and make phone calls. Assess who his available and at what price. When they have the players there, interested in signing, they roll the manager in. All prices and contract details are taken care of the CEO in line with the pay structure at the club.

JUST LIKE BUYING EXPENSIVE BREAD

That way, no mincing over transfer fees. No backing out because the salary might be high. No fear. The guys who are trained in finance and management of mega organisations make the decisions. Arsene is left with the players. He deals with things from there.

This summer, if led by Arsene (as the manager), needs to be controlled by the board. The manager has been left to his own devices for long enough. If intervention that is constructive means he leaves in a sulk, then that’s up to him. We’re a billion dollar club. If things don’t work, which they haven’t under Arsene over a sustained period of time. You make changes.

‘Arsene, you manage transfer windows like an amateur a man under pressure… so we’re going to takeover the pressure off you, acquire what you need, and make your life easier.’

… and here’s the other thing. If Steve Rowley doesn’t have a decent list of players for us to chase, then we’ll move him on and address our scouting network. I’ve seen nothing of late that suggests he’s nailing it. Someone commented yesterday…

Ozil was pretty famous, but can’t hack the physicality. That was public knowledge.

Sanogo has a terrible injury record

Flamini came in from Serie A with a bad injury record

Kim Kallstrom came in with a broken back

Can someone look me in the eye and say they think the chief scout is doing a great job here? Who is looking at the fitness levels? Who is looking at suitability to the league? Who is looking at physicality, height and speed? Who is checking the player doesn’t like to bang hookers in Vegas and smoke shisha pipes in between games?

Someone should be. What clubs are getting it right? Bayern, Dortmund, Everton, Atletico, Bilbao… what are they doing that we don’t? What does modern scouting look like? How can Arsenal and Ivan take things forward? How can Arsene be pushed into making better decisions on talent? How can you get him to trust people outside the chosen group of old timers?

It’s going to be tough. But we make huge proclamations each summer and it never happens… so why not intervene?

‘We trust the manager”

Great sound bite on paper, but the reality is, he can’t be trusted. How many times has he botched the window? His inaction threw the last window and killed our title dreams. I had a debate with a guy at Arsenal station who stated…

‘There were no players to sign’

That’s how brainwashed Wenger has people. In bankrupt Europe, there were no players to sign?

Jokes.

Anyway, the Champions League was interesting last night. Chelsea were spanked by PSG. It was a relatively easy game for the French. Jose continued his embarrassing protest against the club by not playing a striker. Sorry Jose, Torres might not be much craic this year, but he’s a striker. Sorry Jose, but Demba Ba is not only a striker, he’s one you said couldn’t move to Arsenal. Jose, Lukaku is a pretty good striker. It’s all going down the pan for him right now, he’s lost 4 of his last 6 away games. Makes our pummelling by them all the more embarrassing.

In other areas of Europe, Ancellotti took his Madrid side to a 3-0 win over Dortmund. The Germans look like they’re heading out of the competition and Madrid really are looking strong. I’d love to see a Madrid / Bayern final. A lot of power going head to head there. Could be a spectacular.

What I do find amusing now is that every time a club with a good manager suffers an injury, some idiot comes forward with a justification as to why they’re no better than Wenger. Jurgen Klopp has an injury  pile up at Dortmund this season. Do I know why? No idea. I don’t follow Dortmund that heavily. However, it’s worth noting, he’s reinvented the hard pressing game over the last 4 years. He gets fitness. If he’s having his first poor year with injuries, that’s slightly more palatable than heading into your tenth year of the same problems like Arsene Wenger. Also, remember he has a wage budget similar to the one we had 12 years ago.

I can’t remember where I read it, but it was in an American publication from a famous manager, the guy said something like…

‘Get the best talent into your club, then keep it on the pitch’

You’re always going to lose players, when you do, you learn why and try and stop it happening again. But look back at our best years as a club, they happened when we kept our best players fit. An obvious, but an obvious our owner puts down to luck.

This is the thing about Arsenal on the playing side of things… there are so many glaringly obvious issues that could be fixed if there was a desire from Arsene, or some force from Ivan.

Self preservation. A one way street to malaise. Something has to break. I just hope it’s not in two years time.

Finally, before I go, a good friend of mine is throwing a day festival in London in a few weeks. She’s not throwing it because she’s trying to break the hipster scene, oh no, she’s throwing it in support of an MS Charity. So all the funds from the festival go into a very good cause.

So, if you’re around the North London area in three weeks, why not head on over? Loads of exciting new bands, it’s at a really good venue called the metal works and at the end of it all… you’ll be able to say that you got smashed and had a good time for two days in the name of charity.

PLUS. I’ll be there. We can chat about my art installation.

Click the poster below to PURCHASE. It’ll be good.