Mike Ashley ordered to reinstate Jenners signs on landmark

Mike Ashley has been ordered to reinstate the letters of the Jenners sign after they were removed from the Edinburgh landmark.

City of Edinburgh Council has issued a formal notice to Sports Direct International, now Frasers Group PLC, over work “executed to the listed building… having regard to the effect of the works on the character of the building as one of special architectural or historic interest”.

Jenners has been a landmark department store on Princes Street for more than 180 years, previously trading as an independent shop until it was acquired by House of Fraser in 2005.

Mr Ashley’s company is alleged by the council to have “without listed building consent” removed “the individual letters forming ‘Jenners’ located at high level on both the eastern (South St David Street) and southern (Princes Street) elevations”.

The council says the firm is required to “reinstate the letters to their original location on the eastern and southern elevations of the department store to form the name ‘Jenners’”.

Another section of the notice confirms the letters are intact and are “currently stored in the department store”.

The company has been given three months to comply after the notice takes effect on Friday May 14.

Mr Ashley can appeal against the notice, but the council said “any appeal must be received, or posted in time to be received, by Scottish ministers” before that date.

Earlier this year it was announced the store was to close with the loss of 200 jobs after Frasers Group failed to reach an agreement with owner Anders Polvsen to continue the lease on the building.

The company has been contacted for comment.