Trading Statement

RNS Number : 3656O

ASOS PLC

19 September 2013

 



19 September 2013

ASOS plc ("the Company")

Global Online Fashion Destination

Trading Statement for the three months ended 31 August 2013

	Three months to 31 August			Year to 31 August
£'000s	2012/13	2011/12	Increase	2012/13	2011/12	Increase
UK retail sales	74,101	49,854	49%	276,027	205,258	34%
US retail sales	20,872	13,097	59%	77,678	49,585	57%
EU retail sales	53,036	30,678	73%	177,708	117,748	51%
ROW retail sales	59,922	47,413	26%	222,394	165,296	35%
Total International retail sales	133,830	91,188	47%	477,870	332,629	44%
Total retail sales	207,931	141,042	47%	753,807	537,887	40%
Total group revenues*	212,466	145,168	46%	769,394	552,854	39%

* Includes retail sales, delivery receipts and third party revenues.

Q4 Highlights

·    Retail sales +47% year on year (UK +49%, International +47%)

·    International retail sales 64% of total (65% last year)

·    Retail gross margin up c.460bps on prior year

·    7.1 million active customers* at 31 August 2013 (+42% year on year)

FY Highlights

·      Retail sales +40% year on year (UK +34%, International +44%)

·      International retail sales mix 63% of total (62% last year)

·      Retail gross margin up c.100bps on prior year

·      Strong balance sheet and cash position

*Defined as having shopped in the last 12 months

Nick Robertson, CEO, commented:

"I am pleased to report a strong finish to the financial year with retail sales growth for the fourth quarter up 47% to £208 million, and up 40% to £754 million for the full year to 31 August 2013.

Retail sales growth during Q4 was strong in both the UK at +49% and Internationally at +47%. International growth continues to be driven by the countries in which we have dedicated websites and in-country teams, and was particularly strong in Europe, driven by France, Germany, Italy and Spain. We also saw strong growth in the US and in Russia, following the launch of our Russian website.  International equated to 64% of our total retail sales over the period compared with 65% last year, reflecting the strength of our core UK business during the quarter. 

We have now annualised last year's price investments and retail gross margin for the quarter grew by c.460bps year on year. This strong gross margin position has allowed us to continue to invest in the overall customer offer, attracting more active customers which now stand at 7.1 million. 

We expect profit before tax for the year ended 31 August 2013 to be marginally above expectations."

Analyst/Investor conference call:

ASOS will be hosting a conference call for analysts and investors at 8:30am (UK Time) today. Please call Jamie Ramsay at College Hill for dial-in details on 020 7457 2047 or email [e-mail].

A recording of this conference call will be available on the ASOS Plc investor centre website later today: http://www.asosplc.com/investors.aspx 

Photography:

Latest photography will be available at: http://www.asosplc.com/media/image-library.aspx

For further information:

ASOS plc	Tel: [phone]
Nick Robertson, Chief Executive
Nick Beighton, Finance Director Greg Feehely, Head of Investor Relations
College Hill	Tel: [phone]
Matthew Smallwood / Justine Warren / Jamie Ramsay
JPMorgan Cazenove	Tel: [phone]
Luke Bordewich / Gina Gibson
Numis Securities	Tel: [phone]
Alex Ham

Background note

ASOS is a global online fashion and beauty retailer selling over 65,000 branded and own-label products to fashion forward twenty-somethings through our website, asos.com. We ship, for free, to 237 countries from our 1.1 million square foot global distribution centre in the UK.

We tailor the mix of own label, global and local brands sold through each of our eight local language websites: UK, USA, France, Germany, Spain, Italy, Australia and Russia.

ASOS's websites attract 21.3 million unique visitors a month (31 August 2012: 18.8 million) and as at 31 August 2013 had 13.2 million registered users (31 August 2012: 9.2 million) and 7.1 million active customers* (31 August 2012: 5.0 million).

*Defined as having shopped in the last 12 months

www.asos.com 

www.us.asos.com

www.asos.de

www.asos.fr

www.asos.com/au

www.asos.it

www.asos.es

www.asos.com/ru

m.asos.com

marketplace.asos.com

fashionfinder.asos.com

Appendix 1

Pro forma split of retail sales by quarter for the year ending 31 August 2013

£'000s	Q1	YOY%	Q2	YOY%	Q3	YOY%	Q4	YOY%	2012/13	YOY%
UK retail sales	62,053	24%	75,526	28%	64,347	39%	74,101	49%	276,027	34%
US retail sales	19,048	57%	16,503	50%	21,255	59%	20,872	59%	77,678	57%
EU retail sales	33,337	15%	44,120	58%	47,215	56%	53,036	73%	177,708	51%
ROW retail sales	51,357	42%	50,319	33%	60,796	38%	59,922	26%	222,394	35%
International retail sales	103,742	34%	110,942	45%	129,266	48%	133,830	47%	477,780	44%
Total retail sales	165,795	30%	186,468	37%	193,613	45%	207,931	47%	753,807	40%

Pro forma split of retail sales by quarter for the year ending 31 August 2012

£'000s	Q1	YOY%	Q2	YOY%	Q3	YOY%	Q4	YOY%	2011/12	YOY%
UK retail sales	49,942	5%	59,025	12%	46,437	8%	49,854	15%	205,258	10%
US retail sales	12,144	190%	10,993	73%	13,351	78%	13,097	65%	49,585	91%
EU retail sales	28,911	55%	27,935	18%	30,224	27%	30,678	22%	117,748	29%
ROW retail sales	36,123	233%	37,848	113%	43,912	71%	47,413	53%	165,296	94%
International retail sales	77,178	129%	76,776	61%	87,487	54%	91,188	42%	332,629	64%
Total retail sales	127,120	57%	135,801	35%	133,924	34%	141,042	31%	537,887	38%

Pro forma split of retail sales by quarter for the year ending 31 August 2011

£'000s	Q1	YOY%	Q2	YOY%	Q3	YOY%	Q4	YOY%	2010/11	YOY%
UK retail sales	47,383	23%	52,857	20%	43,087	20%	43,421	1%	186,748	16%
US retail sales	4,186	254%	6,365	227%	7,480	176%	7,919	144%	25,950	186%
EU retail sales	18,647	79%	23,576	105%	23,714	68%	25,110	77%	91,047	81%
ROW retail sales	10,847	241%	17,778	265%	25,703	363%	31,021	295%	85,349	298%
International retail sales	33,680	128%	47,719	161%	56,897	154%	64,050	153%	202,346	151%
Total retail sales	81,063	53%	100,576	62%	99,984	71%	107,471	58%	389,094	61%

 

END

 

 

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