E-tailer Asos is targeting international expansion and new product areas as it continues to grow.

Finance director Jon Kamaluddin will become international director, taking responsibility for what chief executive Nick Robertson highlighted as an “important growth area”.

In February AsosKids will become the latest addition to the e-tail offer and is set to launch with about 50 brands.

Pre-tax profits were below some analysts’ expectations at£4.1 million in the six months to September 30, largely because of investment costs. Sales continued to soar, rocketing 107 per cent to£65.7 million.

Seymour Pierce analyst Freddie George believes that Asos will continue to thrive. He said: “The company perversely is, in our view, seeing some benefit from the downturn. Brands are more open to showcasing their products on the Asos web site; the downturn is likely to lead the department stores and brands to delay development of web sites because of cost and complexity.”