Sports Direct never learns its lessons as company finds itself in hot water over pay once again

About five years ago, stung by an investigation into working practices at one of its warehouses, Sports Direct boss Mike Ashley said he had learnt his lesson.

He wanted to be an employer like John Lewis.

He would pay above the national minimum wage and take agency staff onto proper contracts. His people were his priority.

That’s plainly still a work in progress. A second Guardian investigation (same warehouse, same reporter) emerged yesterday and comparisons to John Lewis don’t look favourable.

There’s a question of whether workers are actually getting below the minimum wage since they don’t get paid for breaks, but we’ll leave that one to HMRC and the busy lawyers at Sports Direct.

(As an aside the lawyers on the record attempts to justify Sports Direct policies are unintentionally hilarious, like a man with a mouth full of beef shouting about the benefits of vegetarianism.)

The bigger issue for Sports Direct, having shown itself repeatedly deaf to the public mood, is how much this latest farrago might cost it in terms of sales.