Retail news round-up on January 14, 2016: Crispin Odey ups his holding in Sports Direct to more than 5%, and Dunelm chief denies interest in acquiring Homebase.

Crispin Odey rebuilds stake in Sports Direct

Crispin Odey is understood to have boosted his shareholding in Mike Ashley’s Sports Direct, just days after offloading a majority of his investment in the sports retailer.

The hedge fund manager has upped his stake to slightly more than 5% from just north of 1%, according to The Telegraph.

A stock exchange announcement is likely to confirm that Odey will be again among the company's biggest shareholders.

Dunelm chief says ‘not interested’ in acquiring Homebase

Dunelm chief executive John Browett has refuted claims that the homewares retailer is keen on snapping up Home Retail Group’s Homebase business.

Browett said: "We don't want to buy Homebase. We are flatly not interested in taking it over."

According to reports, the firm was in discussions with private equity companies about taking over the DIY retailer and carving up its store estate.

He added that there were “only a handful of Homebase stores that we would have any interest in and, of those, just a few that we would be confident we could make work".

Dunelm reported a 0.8% drop in like-for-like sales for the 13 weeks to January 2.



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