Mike Ashley faces battle over re-election as Frasers chief

Potential rebellion as advisers tell investors to block or abstain in vote on appointment

Mike Ashley faces another showdown with investors at Frasers Group's annual meeting on Wednesday after one advisory group said shareholders should block his re-election as chief executive and another advised them to abstain.

In a report to clients, Pensions and Investment Research Consultants (Pirc) said shareholders of the group, which owns Sports Direct, House of Fraser and Flannels, should rebel against Ashley as reports that workers at Sports Direct had been asked to go in to stores while on furlough were representative of a corporate culture that does not meet best practice standards with regard to the treatment of employees".