UK's ASOS Posts 18% Drop in First-half Sales

Smartphone with ASOS app, a keyboard and a shopping cart are seen in front of a displayed ASOS logo in this illustration picture taken October 13, 2020. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration/File Photo
Smartphone with ASOS app, a keyboard and a shopping cart are seen in front of a displayed ASOS logo in this illustration picture taken October 13, 2020. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration/File Photo
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UK's ASOS Posts 18% Drop in First-half Sales

Smartphone with ASOS app, a keyboard and a shopping cart are seen in front of a displayed ASOS logo in this illustration picture taken October 13, 2020. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration/File Photo
Smartphone with ASOS app, a keyboard and a shopping cart are seen in front of a displayed ASOS logo in this illustration picture taken October 13, 2020. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration/File Photo

Online fashion retailer ASOS posted an 18% drop in sales in its first half, but said it was on track to meet guidance for sales to decline by 5-15% over the full-year, as its plan to revive the business takes shape.

Since the pandemic, the British company has struggled to grow and cast 2024 as a transition year, with the focus on speeding up processes, launching new collections and getting rid of a build up of excess stock.

For the 26 weeks to March 3, ASOS said sales declined by 18%, broadly in line with its expectations. It stuck to guidance for the sales decline to improve over the 12 month period, Reuters reported.
It also repeated guidance that it would post positive adjusted core earnings (EBITDA), positive cash generation and would return inventory to pre-COVID levels.
"I'm excited by the performance of our new collections, while we have also made great progress in monetizing inventory that built up over the pandemic and in improving the core profitability of our operations," CEO José Antonio Ramos Calamonte said in a statement on Tuesday.
Shares in ASOS have lost over half their value during the last year. The company has a market capitalization of 413 million pounds ($522 million).



Shein to Open Pop-up Store in South Africa to Woo More Shoppers

A view of a Shein pop-up store at a mall in Singapore April 4, 2024. (Reuters)
A view of a Shein pop-up store at a mall in Singapore April 4, 2024. (Reuters)
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Shein to Open Pop-up Store in South Africa to Woo More Shoppers

A view of a Shein pop-up store at a mall in Singapore April 4, 2024. (Reuters)
A view of a Shein pop-up store at a mall in Singapore April 4, 2024. (Reuters)

Fast-fashion giant Shein, known for its $5 tops and $10 dresses, will open a pop-up store in Johannesburg, South Africa in August as the online retailer aims to expand its brand recognition in the country.

Shein, founded in China, and its rival Temu have aggressively expanded worldwide as online shopping has surged after the COVID pandemic. They have been accused of exploiting tax loopholes by exporting China-made products in small quantities to avoid higher duties.

Shein will open its pop-up store from Aug. 2-11 as an "exhibition space" for customers to try on trendy fashion and lifestyle products and order them online at a discount, the company said in its South African Instagram post on Tuesday.

Local influencers were tapped for a pre-opening marketing campaign.

Brick-and-mortar and online fashion retailers have urged South African regulators to impose a 45% import duty on all clothing item imports, no matter the price, to level the playing field. Shein, which is planning to go public in Britain, taps a network of largely China-based suppliers which take small initial orders and scale up based on demand.

A Shein spokesperson told Reuters the retailer is engaging with South African regulators to ensure its continued compliance with local laws.

"That said, such tax measures are not critical to the success of our business or the competitive prices we offer our consumers. We keep our prices affordable through our technology-based on-demand business model and flexible supply chain," the spokesperson added.