Mike Ashley celebrates £300m Newcastle United sale by tipping barmaid £5
MIKE Ashley celebrated his £300million sale of Newcastle United with a five-hour drinking session — tipping a barmaid £5.
The Sports Direct chief — known for his streamlined businesses — was joined by five pals.
He looked jolly as he ordered rounds at the Kings Arms pub in Soho, London.
It followed the announcement that the Geordie club, which he owned for 14 years, had finally been purchased by Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund — to the delight of supporters.
The group entered the boozer soon after the deal, which gives the club the richest owners in the world.
An onlooker said: “Mike was in good spirits and left one barmaid a £5 tip.
“You’d have had no idea he’d done a £300million deal.
“Drinkers were flowing. They were all wearing suits and huddled around the table, laughing and chatting.
“They just looked like a normal bunch of blokes meeting after work.
“They arrived at around 5.30pm or 6pm and were drinking beer until closing time, about 11pm.”
Ashley — worth about £2.7billion and the 61st richest man in the UK — has a reputation as a frugal boss.
A manager at The Kings Arms — described as Soho’s oldest gay club on its Twitter account — confirmed Ashley and pals were at the pub on Thursday night but added: “I don’t know anything about football.”