The roll-call of things worth more than Debenhams’ equity grows longer by the day. The 241-year-old department store’s stock market value is just £25m, meaning posh tonic maker Fever-Tree, founded in 2004, is worth 135 times as much. There are houses in Kensington that would set you back more than Debs’ entire share capital. Even central defender Rio Ferdinand was sold to Manchester United for £30m – and that was in 2002.
Another figure that dwarfs Debs is the loss on investments suffered in recent years by the man who could soon be its new owner, leisurewear luminary Mike Ashley. He might know how to flog a pair of trainers, but the shopping spree that saw him snap up stakes in a bevy of rival firms is thought to have cost the Sports Direct tycoon around £500m. He has been left counting the cost of backing such lame horses as French Connection, Findel, MySale and Goals Soccer Centres in the past three years. The depth of his pockets, not to mention his resolve, could be further tested on Monday.
While some of his recent investments have suffered, Ashley has never lost his ruthless eye for a deal
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