They just changed the price to £60.

these are very comfortable as most Martell are. but mine failed on me after 1yr, sole started to separate from upper.

merrell (damn auto correct)

Only size 8 is £45

I have these. Very good but not water proof like my 20 year old Timberlands.

I bought a pair of Merrell walking shoes from Sports Direct,
I was a bit wary because they were pretty pricey even on offer and they didn't look that different from all the other tat.

Well, a couple of years on and I'm seriously impressed with their quality, there is almost no wear on the soles and only a small tear out at the front.
Super comfortable too. I'd buy another pair without a second thought, but these are still fine.

Previously I've had a pair of expensive Berghaus goretex hiking boots, I didn't wear them much and they were fine for a few years, then one day they literally fell apart in seconds - both soles fell off completely, leaving just the upper boot intact.
Thank god I'd gone no further than my back garden.

Oh no, not another Sports Direct acquisition (like NoFear, Karrimor etc)?

I have had a pair of Goretex Merrell walking/hiking boots for over five years and they are still going strong (around £50 half price at the time apparently).

Looking at the picture, mine look very similar, but are green/brown.

The front of the sole did try to separate a couple of years ago, but was rectified with some strong shoeglue and has stayed put.

Although they are primarily walking/hiking boots and although I've done a bit of walking/hiking in them, they have put up with a lot of hard work around the garden and I always wear them when pressure washing twice a year and they still keep my feet dry.

I just hope the excellent Merrell quality continues if SD have bought out the manufacturer.

SD don't own Merrell AFAIK - SD don't only stock their own brands, otherwise Adidas, Nike, UA, would all be owned by them!