In The Red Corner ... Frasers

Fresh from his scrap with arch-enemy-rival, Dave Whelan, from which he emerged roaring in victory, Mike Ashley's Fraser Group is arming-up to take on landlords, who can hardly be regarded as feared foe, at the moment, so beleaguered are they from previous brawls, none of which have added to their pedigree. The group, who own House of Fraser (hardly Debenhams-on-Steroids, more Debenhams-on-Aspirin-and-an-Early-Night) has threatened to close stores if landlords will not agree to move to rents based on sales figures, after it said Brexit and the Coronavirus pandemic led to “the most challenging year in the history of the company”.