Fashion retailer and marketplace Asos sells fast fashion from over 850 brands. It was founded in London in 2000, originally as an acronym for ‘As Seen On Screen’ with the tagline ‘buy what you see on film and TV’ – the retailer initially sold imitations of famous onscreen items. Its primary target market is young adults, including its own-label women’s range launched in 2004 and men’s range in 2007. The retailer launched its independent boutique and vintage section Asos Marketplace in 2010 and now represents sellers from 800 labels worldwide. Asos operates a number of dedicated websites and ships to 196 countries from fulfilment centres in the UK, the US and Europe. It employs over 4,000 people across six locations. The retailer has a strong digital presence, implementing influencer marketing, an Instagram purchase function and its own app, which was downloaded 10 million times in 2018. In 2019, Asos announced a change to its returns policy in a bid to block “serial returners”.
Green shoots of optimism may be germinating, but it is certain that the last 12 months have left an irreversible imprint on the UK’s retail industry.
Big-name pureplay retailers have formed an industry association to highlight their contribution to UK success and fight their corner – including on tax.
Asos has relaunched its newly purchased Topshop and Topman brands with a two-week social media campaign.
When Asos revealed it had won the battle for the jewel in Arcadia’s crown – Topshop, along with Topman, Miss Selfridge and HIIT activewear – a big question mark was raised over the fate of the retailer’s 214 Oxford Street flagship store.
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