The Mail has reported that Comet electricals owner Kesa are expected to face shareholder rebellions over the generosity of proposed pay schemes at annual meetings this week.
The criticisms follow a rise of complaints over pay awards, with fashion chain Next and DSG International, owner of the Currys electricals group, among the latest in the firing line.
Sports Direct chief executive Dave Forsey and finance director Bob Mellors could each net up to £750,000 in bonuses this year on top of their £150,000 basic salaries, according to research organisation Pirc.
‘We do not consider the targets to be sufficiently challenging and we consider the bonuses to be excessive,’ Pirc said.
Both groups expressed concern about a potential termination bonus for new Kesa boss Thierry Falque-Pierrotin.
‘Much of what we are saying is not new, but investors are now seeing the dangers of ignoring many of these issues and are being more attentive to them,’ said Manifest chief executive Sarah Wilson.
Retailers have argued that tougher times on the High Street mean they have to fight to attract or retain good staff.
But shareholders are concerned that bonus payments and other incentives should be more closely linked to the performance of companies.
A spokesman for the Association of British Insurers, which represents about 15 per cent of the stock market, said: ‘Bonuses for directors must reflect real performance, in bad times as well as good, and shareholders expect targets to be stretching.’
Who’d have thought that the CEO’s get paid too much?