Asos chairman Brian McBride was an investor in collapsed electricals chain Comet, it has emerged.
The former Amazon UK boss invested in Comet alongside private investment firm OpCapita, which bought it for £2 last year. The size of McBride’s investment is not known.
It is understood McBride was advising OpCapita on an online strategy for doomed Comet before it collapsed last month.
Comet’s struggle to put together an online plan to compete against its main rival Dixons, owner of Currys and PC World, has been highlighted as one of the reasons for its downfall.
Little is known about the investors that financed OpCapita’s acquisition of Comet but US hedge fund Elliott Advisors and investment group Greybull Capital were also thought to be in the mix, said The Daily Telegraph.
Adminstrator Deloitte disclosed last week it has had no firm offers for Comet and is likely to close the remaining 195 shops by December 18.
But Southampton-based entrepreneur Clive Coombes told Retail Week he hopes to save a large tranches of stores, initially eyeing 180 shops. But a meeting he was due to hold on Friday with Deloitte to discuss a bid has been postponed until Tuesday.
Meanwhile, Appliances Online founder and chief executive John Roberts is looking to buy the Comet brand and website.
All parties declined to comment.
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