The billionaire boss of Sports Direct said he was "deeply apologetic" over the way his company handled the coronavirus emergency and wants to make amends by offering resources to the UK's National Health Service.
After the UK said on Monday it was going on lockdown and wanted all non-essential shops to close, Sports Direct, part of Frasers Group, said its stores should stay open.
It had argued that sports equipment was essential.
In an open letter published today, Mike Ashley, the firm's founder and CEO, expressed regret.
"I am deeply apologetic about the misunderstandings of the last few days," he said.
He said the retailer's intentions were only to seek clarity from the government as to whether Sports Direct should keep some of its stores open and insisted it would never have acted against government advice.
"In hindsight, our emails to the government were ill-judged and poorly timed, when they clearly had much greater pressures than ours to deal with.
"On top of this, our communications to our employees and the public on this was poor," Mike Ashley said.
He said he has offered the group's support to the NHS.
"We are poised and ready for when that offer is accepted, with our entire fleet of lorries at their disposal - to help deliver medical equipment and supplies," Mr Ashley said.
"This offer is not limited to the NHS but all key workforces across the government. We will help wherever possible," he added.
