London, April 24, 2026, 12:58 BST
JD Sports Fashion chair Andrew “Andy” Higginson quit after pushing to remove Chief Executive Regis Schultz and failing to win unanimous board backing, the Financial Times reported on Friday, citing four people familiar with the matter. Reuters reported the FT account, which said Higginson had made representations to board members that Schultz should be replaced after a three-and-a-half-year tenure. Reuters
The split lands weeks before JD Sports is due to publish full-year results on May 7, sharpening investor focus on whether the British sportswear retailer can steady growth in North America while fixing weaker trading in the UK and Europe. Shares were lower in London on Friday after already falling when the company announced Higginson’s departure earlier in the week.
JD pushed back against the idea of a board break over Schultz. A company spokesperson told Alliance News there had been “no disagreement” about the board’s continued support for the CEO, and the report said Pentland, JD’s majority shareholder with about 55%, had indicated it would continue to back him. AJ Bell
The company said on Wednesday that Higginson would step down at the end of its annual general meeting on July 21. Senior independent director Kath Smith is leading the search for a successor, while Darren Shapland, an independent non-executive director, will become interim chair after the AGM.
Higginson, who joined in July 2022, said his time at JD had coincided with a “tough period” in the sportswear market. He pointed to a refocus on sports fashion, buyouts of minority interests and faster expansion outside the UK, particularly in the United States. Schultz thanked him for his “support and counsel”. Investegate
The pressure is rooted in trading. In January, JD said like-for-like sales — sales from stores and channels open at least a year — fell 1.8% in the nine weeks to Jan. 3, with better U.S. trends offset by weaker UK and European demand. It guided to profit before tax and adjusting items, meaning profit before certain one-off or non-core costs, of about 849 million pounds for the year to January 2026, down from 923 million pounds a year earlier.
North America is now central to the story. JD said about 40% of the business is in that region, and the group has been expanding through banners including Hibbett, DTLR and Shoe Palace. That gives Schultz a growth lever, but also a bigger execution problem if U.S. sneaker demand remains uneven.
The wider sneaker market is not helping. Nike, a key JD supplier, said on Thursday it would cut about 1,400 jobs as it tries to work through a prolonged sales slump; Reuters also reported that faster-moving rivals such as On, Hoka and Anta have gained shelf space. Nike has forecast a 2% to 4% sales drop in the current quarter.
Analysts have treated Higginson’s exit as a loss. Clive Black at Shore Capital called him “highly regarded” and said it would be naive not to feel “a little nervousness” before JD’s preliminary results. Peel Hunt said JD was in better shape than when Higginson arrived, citing the retailer’s broader global footprint and stronger controls. Proactiveinvestors UK
Dan Coatsworth, head of markets at AJ Bell, asked whether JD was heading for a “changing of the guard” and said Higginson was leaving at a sensitive time given the weak share price. Sharecast data showed JD shares down 1.86% at 70.72 pence at 12:40 in London on Friday. Sharecast
The risk for JD is that a chair change buys time but not much else. If May results show weak margins, more discounting or a slower U.S. recovery, pressure could return to Schultz despite Pentland’s support. If North America keeps improving and Nike’s wholesale reset helps JD’s product flow, the board may argue continuity was the safer call.
For now, the public message is stability. The board is looking for a new chair, Schultz remains in place, and investors are left to judge whether this was a governance reset or a sign that JD’s turnaround is still harder than the company wants to say.
