About 21 million shares will be distributed to almost 2,000 staff under its bonus scheme. Some shop floor staff will receive nearly four times their salary in a shares windfall next month after the company posted record profits, up 40% to £207.2 million.
Sports Direct, which owns 396 stores and Sports World and Lillywhites, set-up the bonus scheme in 2009 to incentivise staff and prevent staff turnover.
Four years ago all full-time staff who had been with the company since 2008 were promised free shares if profit targets were hit in 2009.
When that target was hit they were handed a 25% bonus on their base salary, paid in shares worth £1 each. Those shares have since soared in value, and when a first 25% tranche of free shares were awarded last year, someone earning £20,000 a year almost doubled their take-home pay with shares worth £17,500.
Sports Direct, chief executive, Dave Forsey, said: "The share scheme glues this company together. These schemes are typically only for the executives, but this goes deep into the company. I'm surprised more businesses haven't adopted something like this sooner."
The 2,000 employees are now free to sell the shares - and Sports Direct has even provided them with a free stockbroking service.
