Stunning results after we asked if Mike Ashley apology letter is genuine or simply PR damage limitation?
Mike Ashley has been an absolute disgrace in most people’s eyes when it comes to this current crisis we all face, especially in recent days.
However, on Friday morning he published an open letter (see below) claiming he had made some mistakes/misunderstandings which he apologises for.
The Government having had to force the closure of his Sports Direct stores after Mike Ashley tried to claim they were ‘essential’ in this crisis.
The PA (Press Association) also reporting how Ashley had raised prices on countless items, the authorities now looking into claims of him profiteering during this national emergency.
The PA reported as well that Mike Ashley was forcing non-essential staff to go into work, expressly against Government orders/advice.
In this open letter, Mike Ashley has apologised for “ill-judged and poorly timed” emails to Government…
He has also apologised for poor communications to employees and the public…
In his letter, Mike Ashley says:
“Our intentions were only to seek clarity from the Government as to whether we should keep some of our stores open; we would never have acted against their advice.
“On top of this, our communications to our employees and the public on this was poor.
“To reiterate, I am deeply apologetic about the misunderstandings of the last few days. We will learn from this and will try not to make the same mistakes in the future.”
So the question we asked on Friday was: ‘Is Mike Ashley genuine with his apology letter, or is it simply PR damage limitation?’
In the poll we gave people these following two options:
Yes, Mike Ashley is genuine and simply case of making mistakes and misunderstandings
No, Mike Ashley has put this letter out purely as a PR exercise to try and deflect criticism and protect his fortune
This is the full Mike Ashley letter published on Friday 27 March then the final results of our poll:
Earlier this week Piers Morgan said that once things get back to some kind of normality, we must not forget the disgusting behaviour of people such as Mike Ashley.
So are people now convinced that this Mike Ashley letter is indeed genuine and simply a case of misunderstandings and making mistakes, or was it just a cynical PR attempt to deflect and dilute criticism?
The results of our poll are:
1% – Yes, Mike Ashley is genuine and simply case of making mistakes and misunderstandings
99% – No, Mike Ashley has put this letter out purely as a PR exercise to try and deflect criticism and protect his fortune
In actual fact, out of 1,117 people voting, only six thought Mike Ashley was/is genuine.
Whilst our poll will be almost exclusively Newcastle fans making their feelings known, when I have spoken to numerous friends who aren’t NUFC supporters, the reaction has been absolutely the same.
Not a single person I have been in contact with, thinks this is anything but a desperate face/money saving move by Mike Ashley, as even he realises that the way he has conducted his business in this time of crisis could end up seeing his empire collapse. As so many people vow never to forget how he has acted.
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