Wardle & Makin factfileUpdated: February 27th, 2007
JD Sports timeline
Dec 8 1944: John Wardle born
Nov 10 1963: David Martin Makin born
1960s/70s: Wardle is on Bolton’s books but injury ends his career. After taking his coaching badge alongside Ian Storey-Moore he joins Radcliffe Borough in the North West Counties League
Dec 1981: JD Sports founded in Bury by John Wardle and David Makin with one store. The company derives its name from the initials of their forenames. Company started with loans from both men’s fathers.
Spring 1983: JD Sports opens a store in the Arndale Centre in Manchester, followed by one in Liverpool and Sheffield.
1995: The firm now has 50 stores.
Oct 1996: John David Sports plc floated at a valuation of £132.6m. Wardle and Makin each make £13m and retain 70% of the company’s shares (35% each).
Feb 2000: JD Sports has 122 outlets.
Sep 2000: JD Sports has 133 outlets.
May 2000: JD Sports buys Cobra brand. Cobra was founded in 1979 and bought by Mark Blackburn in 1992. In April 1998 Cobra went into receivership.
May 2001: Wardle and Makin sell 14% of JD Sports for £21.5m. They are left with a 56% stake in the company, which has 130 outlets.
May 2002: JD Sports pays £53.2m for AV, First Sport, and Pure Woman businesses from Blacks Leisure. First Sport has 182 outlets and is focused on the men’s and junior sectors, while AV and Pure Woman are positioned upmarket.
May 2002: Following a two-year investigation into allegations into price-fixing with regard to the price of England and Manchester United replica shirts, the Office of Fair Trading accuses eleven companies of engaging in the practice. Those named included JD Sports.
June 2002: JD Sports announces plans to entend the number of outlets from 166 to 350 in the next two years. This is in addition to the 209 stores it had acquired from Blacks. During the previous year JD Sports had opened 29 of its own outlets.
May 2003: JD Sports changes name to John David Group.
May 2003: Wardle steps down as the executive chairman of JD Sports. The company had suffered its first drop in profits since its floatation in 1996.
Aug 2003: John David Sports issues a profits warning. The company’s share price falls by 15%.
Jan 2004: Makin and Wardle give up executive roles at John David Group.
Jul 7 2004: Wardle sells 11.5% stake to Pentland for £10m. Pentland is the maker of Berghaus and Speedo products. Wardle, now 59, says the sale ‘is to allow me to diversify my investment portfolio as I move towards retirement’. Wardle sold 5.4m shares to Pentland at 185p each, but still owns 14.6% of the retailer. Makin still owns around 27%.
11 Oct 2004: JD Sports positions itself in the sports fashion retail market, in which it believes it holds the number one spot. There are now more than 300 JD Sports outlets in the UK. Annual turnover is £450m.
May 11 2005: Wardle and Makin share £44.6m from sale of thier remaining shareholding in JD Sports to Pentland Group. Makin makes approximately £30.1m, Wardle £14.5m. Both later resign from board.
In all, Wardle has made £48.25m from JD Sports (excluding salaries) and Makin has made £53.85m.
Wardle & Makin news archive
A lot of these news items are from the fantastic Man City Info Via the Alps (MCIVTA) newsletter on the Manchester City Supporters’ Homepage. Some are pretty long posts so you’ll have to trawl down the page there to get the particular news item.
15/12/95: Tueart joins board/ Tueart and Wardle & Makin (MCIVTA)
16/10/96: John David Sports to float (Telegraph)
23/01/97: JD Sports ahead as pace of store openings increases (Telegraph)
03/06/87: J D Sports misjudges designer label demand (Telegraph)
12/97: Tueart alleges ‘dirty tricks campaign’/ Dawn Makin demands seat on the board (MCIVTA)
27/01/98: Wardle and Makin buy 50,000 JD Sports shares (Telegraph)
18/02/98: Tueart and the Royle appointment (Irish Examiner)
20/02/98: Dawn Makin behind Tueart appointment? (MCIVTA)
03/05/98: JD Sports looks to Stylo for new head (Telegraph)
30/06/98: Sports directors waive payments (Telegraph)
01/02/99: Cash injection rumours (MCIVTA)
07/02/99: Man City talks to venture groups (Telegraph)
10/99: City’s fan on the Board - John Wardle (MCIVTA)
20/01/00: JD Sports chief ousted (Telegraph)
20/01/00: JD Sports on the button (Telegraph)
15/06/00: JD Sports finds more profits in its teens (Telegraph)
31/08/00: Financial outlook ‘best for years’ / Thomas goes (MCIVTA)
30/11/00: Chairman lays down party line on pay-off (Telegraph)
02/06/01: JD Sports founders sell £21.6m shares (Telegraph)
08/06/01: Bernstein slams ‘pathetic’ hate campaign (MEN)
03/07/01: Bernstein best for Blues says Makin (MEN)
08/04/02: City set to spend, spend, spend (MEN)
08/05/02: Leisure firms given a sporting chance (Telegraph)
6/12/02: John David trips at First Sport hurdle (Telegraph)
28/2/03: Director resigns at City (Telegraph)
6/3/03: Bernstein resigns as City’s chairman (Telegraph)
6/3/03: £20m transfer fund? (MCIVTA)
Keegan wins fight to continue spending (ABC Sports)
Mystery meeting triggered upheaval (MEN)
09/03/03: Wardle rules himself out of chairman job (Telegraph)
16/03/03: Money men leave City in the lurch (Telegraph)
22/03/03: Q&A session with John Wardle (MCIVTA)
15/04/03: Wardle insists he will not remain in post after summer (breakingnews)
02/05/03: John David slows growth as profits halve (Telegraph)
17/03/04: JD Sports chain chairman quits (Telegraph)
21/04/04: City frown on Bernstein bid (Telegraph)
10/08/04: City directors cheat death (MEN)
12/05/05: JD Sports founders pass on their stake to score £45m (Telegraph)