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Financial information - Next Plc. Collect+ - ASOS. Questor share tip: Time to take profits at ASOS. Nick Robertson: ASOS. With nearly four million customers worldwide, if you don’t already know about ASOS, you soon will. The online-only apparel business, best known for its young, fashion-forward collections, is the largest online fashion retailer in the UK. However, despite the current popularity of the fashion site, ASOS started in 2000 as a portal for celebrity-linked furniture and products under the name As Seen On Screen. The following decade has seen the business evolve into much more than just a fashion e-commerce site; it has become one of the defining brands of a generation.

So, how did a man who left school with his tail between his legs create one of the most respected digital businesses in the world? Cutting the cloth With Austin Reed, founder of the eponymous British menswear retailer, as his great grandfather, you might think it obvious that Nick Robertson would enter the fashion industry; but in his early years it didn’t look as though Nick would follow in his footsteps. The first template. About Us | History and time line of ASOS. ASOS is a global online fashion and beauty retailer selling over 65,000 branded and own-label products to fashion forward twenty-somethings through our website, asos.com. We ship, for free, to 234 countries and territories from our 1.1 million square foot global distribution centre in the UK.

We tailor the mix of own-label, global and local brands sold through each of our nine local language websites: UK, US, France, Germany, Spain, Italy, Australia, Russia and China. ASOS's websites attract 29.5 million unique visitors* a month (31 December 2012: 23.7 million) and as at 31 December 2013 had 14.8 million registered users (31 December 2012: 10.5 million) and 7.9 million active customers** (31 December 2012: 5.6 million) . * Desktop visitors only; excludes mobile and tablet visitors ** Defined as having shopped in the last 12 months For more information please see www.asosplc.com What the fashion press are saying about us: “The online wonder store is ablaze with hot designers.”

Brief History. Asos directors sell shares after latest rise in profits | Business. Asos directors have sold nearly £50m worth of shares on the same day the online fashion retailer announced a 42% jump in profits. Chief executive Nick Robertson took home £16m, chairman Lord Alli pocketed £16.7m and chief financial officer Nick Beighton £7.85m. International director Jonathan Kamaluddin sold £6.6m worth and two others sold shares worth £2.7m. The sale at £21.50 a share, part of a long-term incentive plan dating back to 2009, was made on Thursday but announced to the market on Friday. It sent the stock down 4.8% to £22.15, having fallen 6.7% on Thursday as rumours of the sell-off first circulated.

The shares scheme involved seven directors investing around £200,000 each in 2009. If they hit strict sales targets by 2012 they would be rewarded a tranche of shares last month and the remainder next year. The directors chose to cash in their shares at the first opportunity shortly after revealing record profits; however, they all still have significant stakes in the company. ASOS: The simple secrets behind its success. Gemma Lovelock, director of promotions marketing agency Lock-In Marketing, explains the rise and rise of ASOS, the online fashion retailer which today announced that it had made an underlying pretax profit of £25.7m in the six months to 28 February. As the high street flails, ASOS just keeps on growing.

Its latest results, showing an 11 per cent rise in first half profits, demonstrate how the darling of online retail continues to defy the odds. One reason for ASOS's success is its unwavering focus on growth, at all costs. It has voraciously chased overseas markets but has never taken its eye off the ball in relation to the UK market. But arguably its biggest reason for success has been its digital platform, which has always been ahead of the curve. Its key tools, from the iPhone and iPad app to its Facebook shop, English-language mobile site and Fashion Finder tool, aren't just extensions of brand ASOS, they add to the online retail experience.