ASOS have dropped quite significantly in the past week for no particular reason and I view this as the perfect opportunity to invest as I can see them bouncing right back up to the 5.50p mark in the next 2-3 weeks. STRONG BUY!!

If it goes that low, im buying a shed load.

mmmm......some businesses never recover from serious business interruption...insurance is meaningless if the brand suffers, it is off line for a long time......

How and why will the brand suffer????? Suppose some customers might condemn the the management by saying ''fancy those idiots putting the warehouse right next to an oil refinery, im never using that stupid site again.''

the answer know one knows at the moment why because we do not know how long the shares will be suspended, they may wait until the insurance is sorted out,and the buisness is up and running.some of you might remember ids had a fire which made the share plummett 50% down to 30-35p they did not stop the shares trading, since then it has been one of the best performing shares.it is pointless to speculate what the price will be untill they issue the rns with the relevent information.

I don't think this will happen, though perhaps it'll take 12 months to recover fully. I think what Treblewide was getting at is that customers are fickle and go elsewhere.

Woodie - The second part of what you have said sums up what im thinking. Its a massive setback, but it will get sorted. Its not the end of the world as we know it Jim.

Asos Reports `Encouraging' Early Signs From Damaged Warehouse
Dec. 14 (Bloomberg) -- Asos Plc, the U.K. Internet fashion retailer that suspended operations this week after its warehouse was damaged by explosions at a nearby oil depot, expects to resume business within four weeks, Chief Executive Nick Robertson said.

Preliminary health and safety assessments of the Hemel Hempstead, England, distribution center are ``encouraging,'' Robertson said today in a telephone interview. Inspections of the facility show that about 20 percent of the inventory may have been lost, less than the company had expected, Robertson said.

``There is structural damage to the outside, but that's around the weaker points, such as the loading-bay doors,'' he said. ``What could have been severe delays are now only short delays. Worse case, we'll be fully operational within four weeks.''

Asos shares were suspended in London on Dec. 12 after explosions at the Buncefield oil terminal in southeast England damaged the warehouse and halted the company's operations at the busiest time of the year. The blasts and fire at the oil depot injured 41 people, forced 2,000 from their homes and shut about 100 businesses.

Robertson said the London-based company won't be able to resume business before the Christmas holiday. Asos has refunded all customers with unprocessed orders, he said.

``Christmas is over for us,'' he said. ``It was the minute the thing happened. We need to rely on our goodwill that we have created with our customers over the past four years.''

Asos moved into the 70,000 square-foot facility in July to avoid a repeat of last year, when its warehousing was unable to cope with rising demand prior to the December holiday. The company is fully insured for loss of inventory and business interruption.

The shares trade on the London Stock Exchange's Alternative Investment Market. The stock was the biggest gainer on the U.K. market in 2004, rising in value almost 14 times. The shares closed at 77.5 pence on Dec. 9 and are little changed this year.



To contact the reporter on this story:
Paul Jarvis in London at pjarvis@bloomberg.net.
Last Updated: December 14, 2005 08:41 EST

http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=10000102&sid=a153WoL0i4sM&refer=uk

Kivver ... the brand will suffer when people wake up xmas day with no pressies !

You gonna order again from someone who can't deliver at most crucial time of year ???

Any other time of year they would probably have got away with it.

Still p*ssed off that LSE allowed them to suspend , I wait 18 months for an opportunity and now the only winners will be the mm's.

i repeat - How and why will the brand suffer????? Suppose some customers might condemn the the management by saying ''fancy those idiots putting the warehouse right next to an oil refinery, im never using that stupid site again.''

errr because (I repeat) the brand "ASOS" will be tarnished by not being able to deliver to regulars and newbies at most important time of year.

No one gives a sh*t where their wharehouse is , its the reliabily that will hit them and no excuse however valid is going to efect opinion.

so you think people might think the same might happen again next?

If Argos cocked my xmas up this year then I wouldn't expext them to do it again .... but then again I wouldn't give them the chance.

Think about it as a non shareholder.

dil - u talk a lot of sense, but cant agree you on this one. If your in the mood for lurve and your woman cant (for obvious reasons) that dont put you off her for ever does it. Sure people will be say ''what a bloody big fire but im sure it wont happen again''.

they arsed up last christmas as well though did they not?

if you think having to many orders and being to popular is arsing up then i suppose so.

DEAR CUSTOMERS,

UNFORTUNATELY OUR WAREHOUSE AT HEMEL HEMPSTEAD HAS BEEN DAMAGED BY THE EXPLOSIONS THAT TOOK PLACE AT THE BUNCEFIELD FUEL DEPOT ON SUNDAY 11TH DECEMBER.

AT THE TIME OF THIS UPDATE, WE NOW HAVE ACCESS TO THE WAREHOUSE. SERVICES ON THE ASOS WEBSITE REMAIN SUSPENDED HOWEVER, UNTIL OUR ASSESSMENT IS COMPLETE.

WE THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT OF ASOS AND YOUR PATIENCE AND UNDERSTANDING AT THIS TIME.
updated this afternnon at 2pm

hot off the press
Dear Customer,

As you may be aware, our warehouse at Hemel Hempstead has been damaged
by the explosions that took place at the Buncefield fuel depot on Sunday
11th December.

Until we understand the scope of the damage we have been forced to suspend
the ASOS website. This means that unfortunately we are unable to dispatch your
order.

We do appreciate that at this time of year your order is likely to be a
Christmas present for someone. We hope that in some small way we can
make up for this by offering you a 15% discount on your next order at
ASOS. As soon as we have re-opened the store we will be in touch with
your discount code.

In the meantime we have refunded your order in full. The funds should
appear on your card within 5-10 working days.

Once again, we do value your custom and hope to see you again in the
near future.

Thank you for your support of ASOS and patience and understanding in this
matter.

We wish you a Happy Christmas.

ASOS Customer Care

Helpful feedback above on the seriousness of the effects of the fire. On the bright side, seems that ASOS will be somewhere back to normal early January. The downside is the loss of probably the best three weeks in the year.

So what about the effect on the sp? As suggested, will probably over-react. Certainly the annual figures will take a hit as I can't see their being compensation for the timing of the losses. If only 20% of the stock has gone, the value of the other 80% will be slashed by the inability to sell at seasonal prices. So lots to fuel the negativity. But lets look at the upside. The impact will be temporary. There seems to be little reason why this should affect next year's trading. I beleive there is a great deal of brand loyalty and its quite clear what the reason for disruption in trading is. My reasoning is that the inevitable drop will be a buying opportunity, not necessarily straight away, but certainly when the downside has been defined. Had been planning to come back in in January and that timing could be great.

Good luick all and happy Christmas.

Eric