Sports Direct named least reputable retailer in annual rankings while Amazon takes top spot
Sports Direct has been named the least reputable retailer in the UK after a survey of consumer attitudes.
The sports gear retailer languished at the bottom of the rankings compiled by the Reputation Institute for its annual UK Retail RepTrack.
Sports Direct scored poorly on four measures: workplace, governance, citizenship and leadership. It comes just weeks after the company became one of the most important forces on the high street through its acquisition of House of Fraser.
Responding to the rankings, a spokesperson for Sports Direct said: "We note that the Reputation Institute also recently named Sports Direct among the top ten UK companies with the most improved reputations. Sports Direct was also listed as No1 ahead of Netflix at No2, in a top ten of the most improved global brands published by the YouGov BrandIndex in July 2018."
Meanwhile online behemoth Amazon came out on top, scoring well on its products and service, innovation, leadership and performance.
The UK's most reputable retailers
| Rank | Retailer |
| 1 | Amazon |
| 2 | Boots |
| 3 | John Lewis |
| 4 | Co-op |
| 5 | Ikea |
| 6 | Debenhams |
| 7 | Sotheby's |
| 8 | Waitrose |
| 9 | Tiffany & Co. |
| 10 | eBay |
“Amazon’s combination of selection, value, personalisation, and no hassle customer service is a winning formula," commented Stephen Hahn Griffiths, chief reputation officer at Reputation Institute. "Amazon has a loyal following with more than 100m Amazon Prime subscribers ‘Prime Day’ sales have become a major retail event."
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But it was not just digital innovators ranking highly, with some of the UK's longest-standing retailers also earning a top spot. The 169-year-old chemist Boots came second, while 154-year-old department store John Lewis was close behind.
Companies which were recognised as leaders in ethically and socially responsible business tended to rank high, with the Co-op's commitment to ethical sourcing and Waitrose's local charity initiatives helping to push the grocers into the top 10.
According to the study, fair business practices and ethical behaviour accounted for 17 per cent of the overall corporate reputation score.
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