Sports Direct has signed a three-year contract with business water supplier, Wave, to drive better water efficiency across all its sites in England.
The news comes on the back of substantial cost savings already achieved in Scotland by Wave for the UK’s largest sports retailer.
Wave has delivered thousands of pounds of savings across Sports Direct’s Scottish business since 2016, resulting in the contract renewal for over 55 sites in Scotland earlier this year. The international retail company has now chosen Wave to consolidate its water and wastewater services in England.
The new deal means that Wave - one of the leading UK water retailers that serves over 300,000 businesses and all of the Scottish public sector - now supplies Sports Direct’s portfolio of over 400 sites across both England and Scotland.
The move to Wave means Sports Direct will benefit from dedicated account management and Wave’s efficiency services, providing a consistent approach to reducing water use and driving down costs north and south of the border.
James France, Head of Global Leasehold Properties at Sports Direct, commented:
“Wave has delivered an excellent service to our business in Scotland for over two years. We wanted to move our water services to one retailer in England and, given our previous experience of working with Wave, we’re certain we have a consistent, reliable supplier that we can trust to drive further efficiencies. Having successfully driven down our water usage and lowered our charges in Scotland, we’re confident the team at Wave can achieve further water and cost savings across our English portfolio.”
Director of Sales & Marketing at Wave, Glenn Smith, said:
“We’re delighted to expand our services to Sports Direct into England and to build on the efficiencies we’ve achieved so far in Scotland. Our Active Water Management® and tariff optimisation services will help reduce unnecessary water waste and deliver cost savings across hundreds of stores, helping the business to realise better overall sustainability.”
As well as Sports Direct, Wave has also recently secured retail contracts with a range of well-known national brands now taking advantage of the new water market, including Travelodge, one of the UK’s largest hotel chains; leading premium bar chain, Revolution Bars Group; as well as leading commercial property company, Workspace.


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