Business
Frasers lowers goal for new bonus plan after boss misses £100m payout target
Frasers boss Michael Murray will miss targets to secure a £100 million bonus this year, but the firm has revealed plans for a new scheme with a lowered share price goal that could still see him net the mammoth payout by 2030.
Mr Murray, who succeeded his father-in-law Mike Ashley at the helm in 2022, has waived his salary for three years in a row in order to focus on meeting targets for the potential £100 million award.
The bonus is conditional on the group achieving a pre-tax profit of at least £500 million and a £15 share price for 30 consecutive dealing days.
The two conditions have to be met before October for Mr Murray to receive the mammoth payout under the current scheme.
While the group has met the earnings goal, delivering underlying pre-tax profits of £560.2 million for the year to April 27, it cannot meet the shares target by October, with Frasers stock at around £6.80 at the time of writing.
But ahead of its annual general meeting next month, the Sports Direct owner revealed proposals for a new five-year bonus scheme with a lowered share price target – from £15 to £12 – which could still see its chief executive secure a £100 million payout.
Under the new plans, Mr Murray must meet the shares target by September 30 2030.
It is also conditional on the group achieving an underlying pre-tax profit of at least £500 million, with all other aspects of the scheme remaining the same.
Mr Murray will also forgo the salary for the current 2025-26 financial year, according to Frasers’s latest annual report.
On the decision to amend the shares target for the next five years, Frasers said: “The committee views this as an appropriate share price target for all executive share scheme awards (including those for the chief executive) in the current macroeconomic and political environment which is challenging for all businesses in the UK and also internationally.”
It pointed out that £12 was still above the highest share price reached for Frasers in the past five years, which was £9.49.
Shareholders will vote on the plans at the group’s AGM on September 24.
Details of the new bonus plans came as Frasers announced that the former head of Britain’s audit watchdog will join the firm as chairman from next month.
Sir Jon Thompson will succeed David Daly, who steps down after eight years in the role.
Frasers appointed ex-Financial Reporting Council (FRC) boss Sir Jon to the board as a non-executive director in June and was widely reported to be lining him up to take over from Mr Daly this year.
Sir Jon will take on the role on September 1, with Mr Daly stepping down from the board at the firm’s AGM.
The group also announced the expected appointment to the board of Andy Lyon, a former partner at accountancy giant PwC, who acted as audit partner for Next and its credit business.
It said it was also set to appoint a second “well-advanced candidate” for a further non-executive director position as it looks to also replace Ger Wright and Helen Wright, who are not seeking re-election at the group’s upcoming AGM.
Mr Murray said: “Jon’s deep experience in corporate governance and strategic leadership will be invaluable as we continue to grow as a leading global retail business.”
Frasers is majority-owned by retail tycoon Mr Ashley and also owns brands including House of Fraser, Flannels and Jack Wills and stakes in firms such as Hugo Boss.
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Business
Nike cuts 1,400 roles in second round of layoffs this year
People walk past a Nike store in New York City, on April 2, 2025.
Kylie Cooper | Reuters
Nike announced a new round of layoffs Thursday affecting approximately 1,400 employees across the organization, mostly concentrated in its technology department.
In a note from COO Venkatesh Alagirisamy, the company said the layoffs were part of Nike’s broader “Win Now” turnaround strategy aiming to reshape its technology team, modernize its Air manufacturing, move some of its Converse Footwear operations and integrate its materials supply chain work into its footwear and apparel supply chain teams.
“Collectively, these changes will result in a reduction of approximately 1,400 roles in global operations, with the majority in technology,” Alagirisamy wrote. “These reductions are very hard for the teammates directly affected and for the teams around them, too.”
A Nike spokesperson said the layoffs are about better positioning the organization for the current pace of sports and accelerating its growth. The layoffs affect employees across North America, Asia and Europe and represent less than 2% of the company’s total global head count.
“This is not a new direction,” Alagirisamy wrote. “It is the next phase of the work already underway.”
Affected employees will be notified beginning Thursday, Nike added.
CEO Elliott Hill has been working to turn Nike around after years of slumping sales. While Hill has made some initial progress, it’s come with some bumps in the road.
Nike announced 775 job cuts in January, primarily at its U.S.-based distribution centers, due to the company’s work in accelerating its use of automation. At the time, the company said the cuts are part of Nike’s goal to return to “long-term, profitable growth.”
Those layoffs came on top of a round of cuts last summer that affected less than 1% of Nike’s corporate staff as part of the company’s efforts to realign the business.
In its third fiscal quarter earnings report last month, the retailer warned that sales will continue to fall for the rest of the year, primarily led by an anticipated 20% decline in China during the current quarter.
— CNBC’s Jessica Golden contributed to this report.
Business
Meta says it will cut 8,000 jobs as AI spending grows
A key reason for the layoffs is Meta’s increased spending in other areas of the company, including AI, for which it will this year spend $135bn (£100bn). This is roughly equal to the amount it has spent on AI in the previous three years combined, according to a person who viewed the memo.
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