Pompey chief lauds store vision of previous owners

 

 

 

 

 

 

In April 2017, Iain McInnes and his board, during fan ownership, approved the capture of the former Beneficial Foundation offices in Anson Road on a 30-year lease.

Tomorrow the premises reopen as the Blues' club shop, run by Just Sport - the retail partner of new kit manufacturer Nike.

And while the Tornante regime have funded the subsequent extensive refurbishment which also includes a ticket office, Pompey's chief executive has also lauded the part played by fan ownership.

He told The News: '˜Obtaining that property was one of the things I pushed for under the last months of fan ownership and was supported by the board because this was adjacent to our footprint, it ticked so many boxes.

'˜You could argue it's a great example of a joint-partnership between the old board and the new board.

'˜The old board acted in the best interests of the future of the club - as they always did - and knew strategically this plot of land adjacent to our existing stadium was important.

'˜It's something we needed to protect the future and the expansion of Fratton Park.

'˜To put the subsequent investment in refurbishing into perspective, it has not far off matched what we paid for the unit.'