Dariusz Parczewski and his wife Bozena Parczewska are accused of forcing a Polish man to work at the retailer's headquarters in Derbyshire then keeping his wages.
The sportswear firm has not been accused of any wrongdoing.
The couple, from Aspley in Nottingham, were released on bail following the hearing at Nottingham Crown Court.
They were arrested as part of a Nottinghamshire Police investigation into human trafficking and were both charged with knowingly causing another to perform forced labour.
Mrs Parczewska and the couple's son, Kristian Parczewski, are also charged with a range of tax and benefit fraud offences.
The defendants are all due to appear at the same court for a plea and case management hearing on 8 January.
A couple who supplied workers to Sports Direct have appeared in court accused of modern slavery.