With Sevco, the devil is often in the retail.
Indeed, since the club was founded a decade ago by the Gallant Profiteers, the merchandise side of the operation had been one almighty shitshow often played out in court.
Today this dropped from the Competition & Markets Authority.
The provisional findings are:
Elite Sports and JD Sports fixed the retail prices of a number of Rangers-branded replica kits and other clothing products from September 2018 until at least July 2019.
Rangers FC also took part in the alleged collusion but only to the extent of fixing the retail price of adult home short-sleeved replica shirts from September 2018 to at least mid-November 2018.
All 3 parties allegedly colluded to stop JD Sports undercutting the retail price of the shirt on Elite’s Gers Online store.
Michael Grenfell, the executive director of enforcement at the CMA, said:
“We don’t hesitate to take action when we have concerns that companies may be working together to keep costs up.
“Football fans are well known for their loyalty towards their teams. We are concerned that, in this case, Elite, JD Sports and, to some extent, Rangers, may have colluded to keep prices high, so that the two retailers could pocket more money for themselves at the expense of fans.”
Once more:
“Rangers, may have colluded to keep prices high… at the expense of fans.”
JD Sports issued this statement in response to the provisional findings of the CMA. 
Ashley Armstrong, the Retail and M&A Editor for The Times described this case as “cartel activity”.
Sounds serious.
This piece in the Guardian lays out the details very well.
“Elite and JD applied for leniency during the CMA’s investigation and confessed to cartel activity, the watchdog said.
If they continue to cooperate with the investigation, each will receive a reduction on any financial penalties the CMA may impose. Any business found to have infringed the prohibitions in the Competition Act 1998 can be fined up to 10% of its annual worldwide group turnover. JD Sports made revenues of £6.2bn in 2021.”
At the time of writing it is not yet Statement O’ Clock at Ibrox.
For the avoidance of doubt, the club itself is entirely blameless in this rather messy matter.
However, the engine room subsidiary might be in the shit.
Addendum
Dear reader, the little hand at Ibrox is now pointing to Statement O’clock.
For the avoidance of doubt “provisional view only” is doing a lot of heavy lifting there.
It’s just as well that Sevco has such a top-class PR professional in-house for these difficult times.
Discover more from Phil Mac Giolla Bháin
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
Same auld rangers*, always cheating. I wonder how the klan are taking this new kick in the Jacob’s……………..I dare say an extra dose of deludamol was administered. HH
No wonder people mock the Daily Record
The Dave King piece today regards the price fixing scam is breathtaking.
The football club have just paid an undisclosed sum in an out of court settlement to Sports Direct regards this matter .
Yet the record publish this rubbish from a convicted criminal a serial liar a man who should not be near Scottish Football.
The Daily Rectum’s support for the Ibrox clubs makes the rag a glib and shameless liar. During the days of succulent lamb, do you remember the pish about David Murray’s hoverpitches and billionaire Craig Whyte?
What, I’m sure, will turn out to eventually be the funniest part of this most recent shitshow, will be when the ripped off supporters start to justify the club’s actions, and claim that they’re being victimised……… again!!
Loved King’s statement about Stewart Robertson not have been able to sign a contract without him knowing about it, putting the focus on the latter.
Another beauty from the Daily Record.
“Aaron Ramsey lands post Rangers windfall as bumper Juventus contract termination payout ‘agreed’ ” .
Lands, post Rangers, windfall, bumper, payout, agreed, all used in a headline of a story about the fact that Ramsey was so bad, or injury prone, he is being papped out the door by his Serie A club.
I’m sure Sevco will vigorously defend their right to………….. defend the indefensible!!
I thought Susie Dent’s word of the day is very apt:
“Word of the day is ‘struthonian’ (1960s): one who ignores unwelcome facts and buries their head in the sand. From the Latin ‘struthio’, ‘ostrich’.”
The Banter Years never went away , they were just self isolating for a short period.
Ha!
The original Rangers FC was busted for ‘non-competitive’ practices on the field of play, via the use of ineligible, EBT paid players.
How ironic would it be for sevco to be busted for off-field, non-competitive behaviour?
If JD is making a provision in its Accounts, then any sevco involvement has already been confirmed?
Great stuff. 🙂
“Rangers, may have colluded to keep prices high… at the expense of fans.”
What with the non-beamback at Ibrox for the EL Final, they really don’t like their fans, do they? 😉
Fair enough, does anyone like their fans? 🙂
They don’t even particularly like each other, if last year’s George Square hate fest was anything to judge by. They had no one to beat up but eachother, so that was what they did!!
I guess, this time, even they can’t pull out the usual “it was the oldco what did it, so you will have to talk to the liquidators” chestnut that they habitually fall back on, on these types of occasions.
Makes you wonder how many other Cartels may be hanging around with an interest in things
hahaha – love the last line!!!
A wee flourish to conclude Phil, funny