Dave Forsey Chief Executive 19 July 2012 - Sports Direct International

48 / MANAGEMENT AND GOVERNANCE
Directors’ Report
Employee involvement
Our success is a result of the hard work, dedication and
commitment of our c.190,000 employees and as a result of the
Bonus Share Scheme they now have the chance to gain their own
personal stake in the Company. The scheme is open to permanent
employees and aims to motivate and provide the employees with
a direct and substantial link between Group performance and their
remuneration, and to encourage employee participation in the
Group. The Bonus Share Scheme will operate in addition to the
current workplace bonus schemes, which are directly related to
specific workplace performance.
The Group has entered into an agreement with the trade union
Unite in respect of collective bargaining of the pay, hours and
holidays of certain groups of employees at the Group’s National
Distribution Centre at Shirebrook.
Further information on relationships with employees can be found in
the Corporate Responsibility Report on page 61.
Equal opportunities
The Group’s policy for its employees and for all applicants for
employment is to fit the abilities and aptitude of each individual to
an appropriate job, irrespective of gender, race, religion or belief,
sexual orientation, age, disability or ethnic origin. The Company and
other Group companies will not tolerate discrimination in any form.
Applications for employment by disabled persons are given full and
fair consideration for all vacancies in accordance with their particular
aptitudes and abilities. The Group does all that is practicable to
meet its responsibilities towards the training and employment of
disabled people, and to ensure that training, career development
and promotion opportunities are available to all employees.
The Group makes every effort to provide continuity of employment
in the same or similar job where an employee becomes disabled
including offering retraining in order that the employee’s
employment within the Group may continue.
Research and development
The Group designs clothing and some footwear for sale
in-stores and has arrangements with suppliers for the research
and development of goods for the Brands division.
Charitable and political donations
During the Year, the Group made charitable cash donations
of £30,060 (2011: £20,896) in the UK. In addition, the Group
made cash donations to various charities within the USA,
supported significant fundraising and made non-cash donations
in the UK and overseas (examples are contained in the Corporate
Responsibility Report). No political donations were made
(2011: nil).
Directors
Details of current Directors, dates of appointment, their roles,
responsibilities and significant external commitments are set out
on pages 44 and 45.
Although the Company’s Articles of Association require
retirement by rotation of one third of Directors each year, the
Group has chosen to comply with the 2010 UK Corporate
Governance Code and at each AGM the Directors will retire and
stand for reappointment.
Information on service contracts and details of the interests of the
Directors and their families in the share capital of the Company
at 29 April 2012 and at the date of this report is shown in the
Directors’ Remuneration Report on pages 56 to 59.
Copies of the service contracts of Executive Directors and of the
appointment letters of the Chairman and Non-Executive Directors
are available for inspection at the Company’s registered office
during normal business hours and at the Annual General Meeting.
No Director has a directorship in common or other significant links
with any other Director (except in the case of Executive Directors
holding directorships of subsidiary companies of the Company).
Directors’ conflicts of interest
The Board has formal procedures to deal with Directors’ conflicts
of interest. During the Year the Board reviewed and, where
appropriate, approved certain situational conflicts of interest that
were reported to it by Directors, and a register of those situational
conflicts is maintained and reviewed. The Board noted any
transactional conflicts of interest concerning Directors that arose
and were declared. No Director took part in the discussion or
determination of any matter in respect of which he had disclosed a
transactional conflict of interest.
directors’ indemnities
The Directors have been granted Qualifying Third Party Indemnity
provisions by the Group within the meaning given to the term by
Sections 234 and 235 of the 2006 Act. The indemnities were in
force throughout the financial year and will remain in force.
Annual General Meeting
The 2012 Annual General Meeting will be held on 5 September
2012 at Unit D, Brook Park East, Shirebrook, NG20 8RY. The Board
encourages shareholders to attend and participate in the meeting.