Serious deals not done while drunk: Sports Direct's Ashley

London

MIKE Ashley, the billionaire owner of Sports Direct, said he doesn't make serious business decisions while drunk and a former employee's claim that the retail tycoon made a £15 million (S$27 million) bonus deal while in a London pub was "nonsense".

Jeffrey Blue, an ex-Merrill Lynch investment banker who worked for Mr Ashley, is alleging in a London lawsuit that his boss reneged on a pledge made in a bar in early 2013 that he would get the payment if he doubled the retailer's share price to £8. Mr Ashley said while testifying on Wednesday that it was "very unfair" for Mr Blue to claim he regularly made deals while drinking.