Sports Direct has drawn a confused response from customers after it listed a bargain £14.99 funeral urn on its website, describing it as a ‘beautiful keepsake for the ashes of your loved one’
Sports Direct shoppers have been left baffled after the high street giant began selling cheap funeral urns.
Eagle-eyed customers noticed a listing featuring the grey aluminium vase with silver trim on the website with the title ‘Studio – Cremation Urn’. The 26cm by 18cm urns were being displayed at a bargain price of £14.99, a significant reduction from the original price of £114.99.
The item has since been removed from the Sports Direct website, but was still displayed as a Google search result on Wednesday morning. A description on the original listing read: “A beautiful keepsake for the ashes of your loved one. Classic modern style in Grey with silver trim.”
For an additional £5 bargain hunters could get a personalised engraving on the urn, reports the Sun, with one example reading: “In Loving Memory, Grandad. Forever in our hearts.” The urn has drawn quite a reaction online, and many expressed their amusement at the fact that the budget sports retailer – much better known to the nation for knock-price running trainers and Slazenger socks – appeared to be branching out into funeral care.
One person joked on social media: “I’ll have some Slazenger socks, some off-brand running shoes, and a cheap tin to stick nan in, please.” Someone else said “Sports direct have thought of everything!”, as another alerted their followers: “My discovery of the day, Sports Direct sell and urn and it is currently 70% off.”
Others speculated that the unusual listing was a result of items being distributed across different stores owned by Mike Ashley’s Fraser shopping empire, which now owns Amara Living, House of Fraser, Jack Wills, GAME, Flannels as well as Sports Direct. One user said: “Stuff like this started after Mike Ashley bought House of Fraser a few years back. He’s merging all his other business into his existing Sports Direct stores. It’s more obvious online, as you wouldn’t necessarily be browsing in-store for football boots, and stumble into the urn section.” The Mirror has contacted Sports Direct for comment.
