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ASOS.com (pronounced /ˈeɪsɒs/ AY-soss^[2]) is the UK's largest online-only fashion and beauty store. Primarily aimed at 16–34 year old men and women,^[3] ASOS sells both branded fashion goods and its own range of clothes. Sales for the financial year ending 31 March 2011 were £339.7 million.^[1]

ASOS's headquarters are located in Camden Town, an area in North London, within a building known as Greater London House. ASOS.com is a global online fashion and beauty retailer and offers over 50,000 branded and own label product lines across womenswear, menswear, footwear, accessories, jewellery and beauty. ASOS has websites targeting the UK, USA, France, Germany, Spain, Italy and Australia and also ships to over 190 other countries from its central distribution centre in the UK.^[3]

ASOS has over 13.6 million unique visitors a month and as of 30 September 2011 had 6.3 million registered users and 3.7 million active customers from 160 countries (defined as having shopped on ASOS in the last 12 months).^[3] Its main fulfillment centre is in Barnsley, Yorkshire.^[4]

History[link]

ASOS was established in June 2000 by Nick Robertson & Quentin Griffiths. ASOS now has over 2000 employees and is the United Kingdom's largest independent online and fashion beauty retailer.

Despite deprecating its original meaning (As Seen On Screen), ASOS is still written as an uppercase acronym; the exception to the rule being the new company logo designed by Ben Lewin as part of new visual identity and introduced in 2008 where it is stylistically shown all in lower case.

In October 2001 ASOS PLC Holdings was admitted to AIM on the London Stock Exchange.

Brief History:

• 2000 - ASOS launched
• 2001 - ASOS PLC Holdings was admitted to AIM on the London Stock Exchange
• 2004 - Introduced ASOS own label for Women
• 2004 - Maiden profit
• 2005 - Launched ASOS Beauty
• 2005 - Buncefield Fuel Depot explosion closes business for 6 weeks - £5m of stock lost^[5]
• 2006 - First UK online store to launch catwalk
• 2007 - Launched ASOS Magazine
• 2007 - Introduced ASOS own label for Men
• 2008 - Launched ASOS Outlet
• 2009 - Launched ASOS Petite
• 2009 - Launched Designer Store
• 2009 - Launched ASOS Life
• 2010 - Achieved CarbonNeutral company status
• 2010 - Launched ASOS Mobile
• 2010 - Launched ASOS France
• 2010 - Launched ASOS Germany
• 2010 - Launched ASOS USA
• 2010 - Launched ASOS Marketplace
• 2011 - Launched ASOS Facebook Shop
• 2011 - Launched ASOS Fashion Finder
• 2011 - Launched ASOS Spain
• 2011 - Launched ASOS Italy
• 2011 - Launched ASOS Australia

Board of directors[link]

• Chairman - Waheed Alli, Lord Alli
• Chief Executive - Nick Robertson
• Finance Director - Nick Beighton
• Company Secretary - Andrew Magowan
• Non-Executive Director - Peter Williams
• International Director - Jon Kamaluddin
• Product and Trading Director - Robert Bready
• Non-Executive Director - Karen Jones
• Non-Executive Director - Mary Turner

Features[link]

ASOS provides potential customers browsing its content with individual catwalk model videos of most clothing items on the site. Additionally, it runs a fashion blog with articles relating to celebrity and entertainment; links are then provided to clothes on the main retail site which are related to the posts.

ASOS Outlet[link]

ASOS Outlet is the discount arm of ASOS and offers end of line and previous season products at discounts up to 75% off. It is linked to from the main ASOS page and competes with other online discount E-tailers such as secret sales, FillMyCloset, BrandAlley and iShopStyle. ASOS Outlet is a foray by ASOS into the discount sector and has often been likened to an online TK Maxx discount store.

ASOS Fashion Finder[link]

Fashion Finder showcases fashion trends and also links to products by rival retailers if the product the shopper is looking for isn’t sold on Asos. The site also allows users to build and share outfits from their favourite brands and hosts catwalk videos.

Little ASOS[link]

ASOS invented a collection, called Little ASOS, which caters for babies up to 24 months and girls and boys aged from 2 to 8 years. The collection launched mid-February 2009 with a line-up of over 40 kids wear fashion labels. As well as stocking ranges from high fashion brands including Diesel, Tommy Hilfiger, Miss Sixty and True Religion, Little ASOS offered a number of boutique and independent labels such as Cath Kidston, No Added Sugar and Bob & Blossom. The collection also featured a number of UK and online exclusives. It was the sole UK stockist of Lee Kidz, a denim and casual wear range for girls and boys from classic US denim brand, Lee. High-profile footwear labels including Converse, Havaianas and Ugg were also available to purchase. However Little ASOS was phased out in the beginning of 2011, for it was no longer a profitable operation.

ASOS Life[link]

ASOS Life, which launched 13 April 2009 in beta and officially launched to the public 6 May 2009, is a section of the ASOS.com site which allows users to create their own profiles and communicate through forums, blogs and groups. The pure-play retailer announced the launch of the ASOS Life community through Twitter and Facebook.

Existing customers have the same login for the e-commerce and community site, but a username has be chosen to gain access to ASOS Life.

The site features blogs from members of employees, and a help forum that allows customers to answer each other's questions. In addition, an 'ideas' section permits customers to submit suggestions for site improvements and rate each other’s suggestions. ASOS Life was later renamed ASOS Blogs and can be accessed through a tab added to the main navigation bar, titled Blogs.

ASOS Premier[link]

On 17 November 2009 ASOS launched 'ASOS Premier' which was a new delivery loyalty scheme, similar to that of Amazon.co.uk with 'Amazon Prime'. ASOS Premier has only initially launched and become available to those living in the UK, although international development has not been ruled out for the future, dependant on future international development of the company. ASOS Premier offers free Next Day Delivery and Nominated Day Delivery and free Returns via collection on unlimited orders for £14.95 per year.

ASOS Magazine[link]

ASOS also publishes a monthly magazine which launched in 2007. Currently 18th in the UK with a readership of 449,971 and geared towards females, ASOS magazine is currently distributed in the UK. For those who do not have easy access to the hardcopy, an online version is available on the site where consumers are able to click and buy immediately while browsing.

ASOS International[link]

In the final quarter of 2010 ASOS launched three international stores: ASOS France, ASOS Germany & ASOS USA. In September 2011 three more sites in Australia, Italy and Spain. International sales increased by 142% during the 2010 financial year.^[6]

Facebook application[link]

On 27 January 2011 ASOS launched a Facebook application that allows customers to make purchases from the store without having to leave the social-networking site. It can be accessed at the link ASOS Facebook Store

Honours & Awards[link]

• Dec 2000 - Voted 'Best Trendsetter' by Sunday Times
• Mar 2002 - Retail Week Awards - Best Newcomer Finalist
• Sep 2002 - E-Commerce Awards - Highly Commended
• Oct 2004 - AIM Awards - Best Performing Share
• Feb 2005 - More Magazine Fashion awards - Must Have Partywear
• Feb 2005 - More Magazine Fashion awards - Most Addictive Online Shopping Site
• Mar 2005 - Retail Week awards - Rising Star of the Year
• Nov 2005 - Drapers Awards 2005 - E-tailer of the Year
• Feb 2006 - More Magazine Fashion awards - Most Addictive Online Shopping Site
• Oct 2006 - AIM Awards - Best Communication
• Oct 2006 - Company High Street Awards - Best Online Shopping
• Nov 2006 - Drapers Awards 2006 - E-tailer of the Year
• Mar 2007 - Retail Week Awards 2007 - Online Retailer of the Year
• Apr 2007 - getlippy.com Fashion Awards - Best Online Shopping
• May 2007 - The Drapers Footwear Awards - Etailer of the Year
• July 2007 - Business XL - Company of the Year
• July 2007 - Business XL - Growth Company of the Year
• Nov 2007 - APA Awards - Most Effective Retail Consumer Publication
• Mar 2008 - Cosmopolitan Online Fashion Award - Retailer of the Year
• Mar 2008 - Retail Week Awards 2008 - Online Retailer of the Year
• Apr 2008 - In Style Shopping Awards 2008 - Best Online Shop
• May 2008 - PPA Awards 2008 - Customer Magazine of the Year
• Sep 2008 - Maxim Style Awards - Brand of the Year
• Sep 2008 - Maxim Style Awards - Multiple Brand Retailer of the Year
• Oct 2008 - Aim Awards – Best Performing Share over 5 years
• Oct 2008 - Aim Awards – Company of the Year
• Nov 2008 - Esquire Awards – Best Credit Crunch Survivor
• Nov 2008 - Company High Street Awards – Best Online Shopping
• Nov 2008 - Company High Street Awards – Best Place to Spend £50
• Nov 2008 - Company High Street Awards – Best Place to Spend £150
• Nov 2008 - APA Awards – Most Effective Retail Consumer Magazine of the Year
• Nov 2008 - APA Awards – Integrated Marketing Solution and Digital Activity of the Year
• Jan 2009 - Drapers Etail Awards – Best Customer Experience
• Jan 2009 - Drapers Etail Awards – Best Etailer of the Year
• Mar 2009 - Cosmopolitan Online Fashion Awards – Best Online Retailer
• Mar 2009 - Cosmopolitan Online Fashion Awards – Denim to Die For
• Mar 2009 - Cosmopolitan Online Fashion Awards – Best For Bargains
• Apr 2009 - Growth Company Awards – Aim Company of the Year
• May 2009 - Drapers Footwear Awards - Retailer of the Year
• June 2009 - IR UK & Continental Europe Awards - Grand Prix for best overall investor relations – companies on small-cap exchange
• July 2009 - Retail Week Technology Awards - IT Team Of The Year
• Nov 2009 - Company Fashion Awards - Best place to spend £50
• Nov 2009 - Company Fashion Awards - Best place to spend £250
• Nov 2009 - Company Fashion Awards - Best Online Shopping
• Nov 2009 - National Business Awards - Grant Thornton Mid-Cap Business of the Year
• Nov 2009 - Drapers Awards 2009 - E-tailer of the Year
• Dec 2009 - Handbag.com Online Fashion Awards 2009 - Best Boutique Site
• Dec 2009 - User Generated Content Innovation Award – eCommerce Awards for Excellence 2009
• Dec 2009 - Best Customer Experience – eCommerce Awards for Excellence 2009
• Dec 2009 - Best Pure-Play Retailer – eCommerce Awards for Excellence 2009
• Dec 2009 - Online Gold Award (OLGA) for the Best e-commerce Site 2009 – eCommerce Awards for Excellence 2009
• Jan 2010 - Golden Chariot Award For Delivery Excellence
• May 2010 - Achieved CarbonNeutral company status
• June 2010 - Linkshare Golden Award for International Advertiser of The Year
• July 2010 - Awarded Best use of Payroll Giving from the Institute of National Fundraising
• Sep 2010 - Cosmopolitan Blog Awards. Best Etailer blog
• Oct 2010 - Aim Awards - Company of the Year
• Oct 2010 - E-Commerce Awards - Best Use of Social Media
• Oct 2010 - E-Commerce Awards - Best Direct Retailer
• Nov 2010 - Best Place to Spend under £150 - Company Magazine
• Nov 2010 - Best Shoes Under £150 - Company Magazine
• Nov 2010 - Best Online Shopping - Company Magazine
• Nov 2010 - Fashion Retailer of the Year - Company Magazine
• Dec 2010 - Outstanding E-tailer of the Year - WGSN
• Jan 2011 - Best Pure Play Etailer - Drapers Etailer of the Year Awards
• June 2011 - International Solution of the Year - Retail Week Technology Awards
• June 2011 - Best Social Media Strategy - New Media Age Awards
• June 2011 - Best Vintage and Best New Fashion Site for ASOS Marketplace - Handbag.com Online Fashion Awards
• June 2011 - Best Online Only Fashion Site - Handbag.com Online Fashion Awards
• Aug 2011 - Best Online Fashion Retailer, Best Site Design and the ‘I want what she’s got celebrity style’ - Reveal Click to Buy Awards

References[link]

• ASOS launches full shop entirely within Facebook Metro
• Asos Sales Double as Britons Seek Online Discounts Bloomberg
• ASOS 'superb' show boosts sales by 108% Daily Mail
• ASOS almost doubles sales The Guardian
• Asos passes a crucial test but Dolcis fails The Times
• Strong Christmas sales for ASOS BBC News
• Asos guns for slice of discount spend. Drapers Online
• Asos: cutting edge fashion on the web The Times
• About ASOS.com Includes timeline of the company's growth.
• ASOS a star infashion stakes Edinburgh Evening News
• Demand from wannabes helps Asos post first profit The Independent

External links[link]

• Official website of ASOS
• Official website of VANSES
• ASOS Outlet
• ASOS Beauty
• ASOS Fashion Finder
• ASOS Marketplace official website
• ASOS traffic rank - Alexa

Asos (Greek: Άσος) is a village on the west coast of the island of Cephalonia, Greece. It is part of the municipal unit Erisos.^[1]

References[link]

Coordinates: 38°23′N 20°33′E / 38.383°N 20.55°E / 38.383; 20.55

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