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!!

Projected p/e (pre-tax) of 14 for next year (seymour pierce). About 8 for following year. Price will need to double to hold p/e at around 16. Still a no-brainer as an investment.

Eric

If you're felling sick, look at the horizon - applies to stockmarkets as much as sailing. Think where this will be in 2-3 or 5 years' time.

Hi, Eric how are you?

sd

eric/stockdog do you think there is a threat others will muscle in on there buisness in that time? it is becoming clear from this xmas trading the high st stores have suffered and need to act to stop the trend of losing sales to the internet. still holding

Woodie
There is always competition, but first mover advantage plus excellent management plus track record suggest they are well ready for it. Whilst the competition currently is for on-line to steal business from the high street, I do not think competition between on-line shops is so relevant yet.

By the way, look at EBTM which has halved in value since last Monday - clearly not the next mover in the ASOS paradigm just yet. I've managed to stick to my stance to stay clear until it shows an operating profit, thankfully.

stockdog thanks for the reply

Agree sd, as usual! The High Street retailers have their hands tied as they have to be careful not to imact their shop sales: Next, I suspect are still somewhat equivocal about Internet presence. ASOS have the favoured numer two position and a clear leadership in their own niche. Brand loyalty is a key factor. And they still haven't turned their attention to Europe or U.S. Still plenty of scope for growth in sp.

Eric

thanks eric
ASOS
Companies: ASC
28/01/2008
ASOS's share price continues its meteoric rise, having risen from an original Growth Company Investor recommendation price of 7p to now almost double the 121p at which we endorsed them again here in July.

Although followers have become accustomed to superlative numbers from the online fashion retailer, its recent Christmas trading statement still made impressive reading. For the seven weeks to 20 January, website sales grew by 86% compared with the same period last year, with sales for the 42 weeks to the same date up by 88%. CEO Nick Robertson described Christmas trading as cracking and indicated that profits for the year to March 2008 are likely to be significantly ahead of market expectations.

Having suffered during previous Christmases from the blast effects of the Buncefield oil storage disaster in 2005 and from logistics problems the year before that, ASOS was pleased to fulfil all of its seasonal orders with no major delivery issues. Another welcome statistic was the number of registered users, which had reached 1.7m by 20 January, up 100,000 since early December and by 400,000 in six months.

Following the update, house broker Seymour Pierce upped its target price to 320p, while independent analyst Jose Marco-Tobares at Numis maintained his 400p target, predicting profits will come in at around 6.7m for March 2008, giving 6.2p of earnings. Next year, he expects earnings of 12.3p from a 13.3m profit.

On those numbers, the 229.75p shares trade on a forward p/e of 37, falling to just under 19 times forecast earnings for 2009. At first glance those multiples might appear demanding yet, given that earnings are expected to nearly double next year, the stellar growth rates of the business and a recent relative drop in price shares remain compelling. Buy.

Asos outstrips retail rivals
By Robert Orr and Neil Hume

Published: February 13 2008 02:00 | Last updated: February 13 2008 02:00

Asos continued to outperform the struggling retail sector as Landsbanki lifted its price target on the online clothing group to 285p.

Asos was one of the sector's few success stories this Christmas, reporting sales growth of 86 per cent. Although Asos shares already trade at a sharp premium to the sector, Landsbanki said the valuation was deserved.

"Asos is a growth stock and offers direct exposure to internet retail, the growth segment of the sector," the broker wrote. Asos closed up 3.4 per cent at 246p, not far off its all-time high

266 now which is lvl with all time high

Lovely grub! All time high, again. Who was the guy -Fibonacci? Onto the third leg of an ascent which should take us to 300p. Hold on for the ride, guys and gals!

Eric

agree eric looks like sooner rather then later

Zoe Wood
The Observer, Sunday February 24 2008
http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/2008/feb/24/amazon.efinance

Nick Robertson, the founder of fast-growing web retailer Asos, wants to create the Amazon of the online clothes industry, he tells Zoe Wood

Asos chief executive Nick Robertson is sick of being linked to Lindsay Lohan and Paris Hilton in the newspapers. But the chief executive of the 'celebrity-inspired' fashion website is a victim of sexism in the City - the need for business editors to leaven weighty coverage of sub-prime mortgages and monoline insurers with a spirit-lifting picture of a 20-year-old in a thigh-skimming mini-dress. 'It's like groundhog day,' says Robertson of the media coverage his trading updates attract.

But if Robertson is weary of it, there is no sign that women are getting tired of scouring the website to bag the latest celebrity trends, with the retailer reporting sales growth of nearly 90 per cent at Christmas. Analysts are now talking about the company's potential to be the 'Amazon of fashion'.

And even if Robertson objects to the fallout, there is no doubt Asos is a business built on skimpy attire worn by glamorous girls. At any one time the website has around 500 dresses to choose from, with the selection changing every six to eight weeks. Shoppers can search by their favourite celebrity as well as by style and currently its teen clientele can snap up a 38 lace dress inspired by one worn by actress Mischa Barton, or a 28 floral number la Ms Hilton.

After its spectacular Christmas performance, the weight of expectation in the City is high, but Robertson claims he is not nervous about the business's ability to maintain momentum. 'We have grown at this level for six years and there is a lot more riding in our favour now; internet shopping is more exciting and the Asos brand is a lot bigger.'

He says the attention Asos has received belies its size - after all, with sales of around 80m, its turnover is only equal to that of Topshop's flagship store at Oxford Circus. 'We are tiny,' he says.

The rapid growth of Asos, formerly 'As Seen on Screen', appears to have surprised its management. It has moved warehouses five times in seven years and is now scrabbling for more space at its trendy Art Deco London headquarters. But Robertson says its most recent move should do for several years, as it can handle sales volumes of up to 350m.

Robertson is the great-grandson of menswear retailer Austin Reed, but he is adamant he is more of an entrepreneur, like his brother Nigel who founded telephone information group Freepages. 'Retail is product and packaging: my experience is more on the packaging side,' he says.

The company's roots lie in product-placement business Entertainment Marketing, which Robertson started with Quentin Griffiths in 1995 with the aim of getting brands such as Carlsberg and Pepsi into films and television shows. The plan was to create an online shop for a variety of products 'as seen on screen', but it became apparent the real opportunity was in clothing.

'We decided to be about selling the fashion people see on celebrities, not just in the movies and on TV, but in music videos and in magazines,' he says. Asos was born in 2000 and the following year the business, chaired by Lord (Waheed) Alli, was admitted to the Alternative Investment Market.

'We have evolved from 2001 when it was all about products you saw on screen,' says Robertson. 'Celebrity is still at the heart of this business but we've got more authoritative and professional about the way it is packaged.'

Robertson gets annoyed if you apply traditional retail logic to his business. When asked about the typically lower margins achieved selling third-party brands versus own-label goods, he says: 'Some analysts are stuck in the Dark Ages. Can I just spell it out? We are not a shop. This is an internet site with more stuff on it than you can shake a stick at.

'I don't think Amazon is worried about margin as they are making a smaller margin on a much bigger turnover - and that's the principle we would apply. If I'm a shop I have to make a return per square foot, but the only cost to me is the 4.50 per square foot it costs me to keep goods in my warehouse.'

Robertson also becomes agitated when the subject turns to the potential of clothes shopping online - given, it is argued, that some women will always prefer shopping on the high street where they can touch fabrics and try on items. He makes the 'whatever' sign using his thumbs and forefingers. 'Every month 51 per cent of 16-to-24-year-old girls buy clothes online,' he says. 'Get over the f***ing trying-on thing.' Convenience is why people buy on the web, he continues. 'Have you tried queuing up in Zara on a Saturday afternoon?'

Such is the demand for internet fashion, he says, that the business would grow at 40 per cent a year even if the site did not evolve. So far it has only scratched the surface: just 1.7 million of a possible 14 million target audience of 16-to-34-year-old women use the site. Kaupthing analyst Matthew McEachran estimates that the company, which has expanded into menswear, is addressing a potential 60bn market.

Robertson has described the typical Asos customer as: '23, better looking than average, with Saturday night as her biggest night of the week'.

If you were to look in such a woman's wardrobe, he goes on, 'it probably contains some items from eBay, TK Maxx, some own-label clothes as well as premium and luxury brands,' he says. 'So we have been taking all these high street, premium and luxury brands under one roof, because from a customer perspective that appears to be what she wants.'

Asos has bolstered its credibility with wealthier shoppers by stocking designer ranges such as McQ by Alexander McQueen and Twenty8Twelve, the range designed by actress Sienna Miller. Robertson says getting brands on board is like a 'domino effect', and the next stage is to add more luxury products to the roster - although shoppers can already buy a 720 Miu Miu bag, as seen on Keira Knightley.

As the business grows, he says Asos will seek to create a more personal shopping experience. 'When you visit Amazon you get a completely different home page to me, so apply that to fashion,' he says. 'We will be able to profile the customer through their shopping and browsing habits... so an older person with more disposable income will see more premium product.'

The potential Asos has shown in its short life as a listed firm has led to speculation that it could be bought - but Robertson scotches that, adding that between management, Fidelity and hedge fund manager Bill Currie, 40 per cent of the group's shares are spoken for. Instead, he is concentrating on strengthening its position, as rivals move from the high street to fight for sales on the net. Like Lastminute.com's co-founder Brent Hoberman, he sees the potential for internet 'superbrands', with retailers' wares all displayed under one 'roof'.

'On the internet, shoppers prefer to go to a smaller number of bigger places and Amazon is obviously the pinnacle of that,' says Robertson. 'A girl walking down Oxford Street may go to 10 or 15 different shops - but she doesn't want that hassle on the internet.'

any rumours about i do not know of? sp raced up 12-13 pts in last hour

the company had a plug on bbc working lunch

PLEASED ABOUT IT BUT is that all it takes? May be they can do the same for WNG and SEO

robin it might not be that but it should help

From The Times
February 29, 2008
Fresh blow for Topshop as Asos poaches director
Steve Hawkes

One of Sir Philip Green's most senior lieutenants at Topshop has left the high street fashion chain and joined Asos, the fast-growing internet clothing retailer.

In the latest defection to hit the billionaire, Caren Downie will head the women's wear team at Asos as it launches nearly 3,000 more product lines this year. Ms Downie has been credited with bringing a new generation of designers into Topshop in her role as buying director.
Ms Downie will oversee a 40 per cent expansion in the women's wear range at Asos and drive new creative projects.

Asos was one of the big winners in the retail sector over Christmas. Sales rose by nearly 90 per cent. It believes annual revenue could hit 400 million by 2011, a fourfold increase, as younger shoppers flock to the web

Asos has appointed Topshop buying director Caren Downie to lead a massive expansion of its offer this year.

Downie, who was a key member of the Topshop team during the era of Jane Shepherdson, will join in the newly created role of womenswear buying director.

She will oversee Asos's ownbrand womenswear and accessories, as well as its branded ranges, and has been tasked with increasing the 6,500-line offer by 30% to 40% this year. Downie will head a team of 70, which is set to double by December.

Downie's appointment marks a significant investment by Asos in its new strategy as it shifts away from its celebrity-fashion roots towards becoming a fullyfledged fashion etailer, offering everything from fast fashion to designer brands such as Miu Miu and PPQ.

Asos is thought to be anxious to maintain its position at the forefront of etail as more high street chains join the online revolution, with home shopping groups such as Littlewoods, Next and Otto Group also playing catch up.

Asos chief executive Nick Robertson told Drapers that Downie would also drive new creative projects to nurture upand-coming designers. Downie was hugely infl uential on Topshop's New Generation sponsorship of London Fashion Week designers, and is likely to exploit her links with the London College of Fashion to diff erentiate Asos from its rivals.

Downie, who has worked at Topshop for more than a decade, said: "Asos has proved to be a very successful etailer. My previous experience will fi t in well, because fast fashion is only getting faster and an internet model is a perfect environment in which to showcase this."

Asos product and trading director Rob Bready said: "Caren will bring a dynamic fashion edge to Asos, which puts us in a strong position for the future."

reason for todays rise.

ASOS 267 up 4

Kaupthing Singer & Friedlander 'buy' with 310 pence target

no news as far as i know , but asc now trading at new all time highs