Following Sports Direct is like watching one of those 1970s air disaster movies that always form part of the Christmas TV schedules.

You know what’s going to happen and, despite it being excruciating viewing, the whole saga is strangely compelling.

The only difference is that Charlton Heston always saves the plane, but few would have the same faith in Mike Ashley after this week’s shocking interims, despite the share price bounce. Christmas is the season for miracles and that’s what Ashley needs if he is to rebuild his credibility with the City.

The Sports Direct pantomime is at least good for entertainment – unless you’re a shareholder of course – and that has been in short supply in retail since the summer.

In any business you need a degree of luck. And while the old football adage that you make your own holds true for the best retailers, natural and economic circumstances have heaped misfortune onto the sector in the past six months.

So here’s hoping that the shoppers make up for lost time in these next few days and that, in what will undoubtedly be a testing 2008, lady luck smiles on retail a little more than she has this year.

Retail Week is back on January 4, but you can keep up to date with the final Christmas countdown and the start of what will be a crucial Sales period at retail-week.com, where we will be publishing news throughout the festive period.

From all of us here at Retail Week, our very best wishes for a happy Christmas and a prosperous new year.

Farewell to a friend

Some sad news to end the year was the death of Alison Richards after a long battle against cancer. She had a remarkable career and was a genuine pioneer in furniture and homewares retail at both Habitat and The Pier.

Behind an exterior that could appear quite brusque to the uninitiated was one of the warmest-spirited and most entertaining personalities you could meet and someone who selflessly devoted huge energies to helping the world’s least fortunate people.

To the end, she refused to let her illness defeat her, continuing to live life with the same spirit and energy that those of us lucky enough to know her will always remember.

tim.danaher@retail-week.com