ASOS: To be amazon in the Fashion industry

ASOS.COM, autumn/winter 2008-9

ASOS.COM's chief executive Nick Robertson has put his cards on the table - and announced that he plans to turn the etailer into the AMAZON.COM of the fashion retail industry.

Whilst not divulging exact figures Robertson noted that ASOS.COM, which reported a 95 percent rise in first-quarter sales in June, hadn't been impacted by the recent credit crunch and that "everyone's online bit of their retail mix is growing like stink".

"I genuinely believe we're at the tip of the iceberg on this," he added.

As well as constantly evolving the mix of brands stocked, the etailer is implementing a range of initiatives - from the launch of a marketplace for second-hand clothes to homepages tailored for customers - to stay one step ahead of its increasingly-growing band of competitors.

But whilst high street retailers trading online are upping their game, Robertson believes they will never catch up.

"This is a fundamental difference: I can never see a situation where one high street retailer is going to stock 15 of its main rivals," he asserted in the interview with Reuters. "We will, because we're not a high street retailer."