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).



LVMH Sales Grow 1% in Second Quarter, Missing Estimates

This photograph taken on January 25, 2024 shows the logo of World's top luxury group LVMH during presentation of its 2023 annual results in Paris, on January 25, 2024. (AFP)
This photograph taken on January 25, 2024 shows the logo of World's top luxury group LVMH during presentation of its 2023 annual results in Paris, on January 25, 2024. (AFP)
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LVMH Sales Grow 1% in Second Quarter, Missing Estimates

This photograph taken on January 25, 2024 shows the logo of World's top luxury group LVMH during presentation of its 2023 annual results in Paris, on January 25, 2024. (AFP)
This photograph taken on January 25, 2024 shows the logo of World's top luxury group LVMH during presentation of its 2023 annual results in Paris, on January 25, 2024. (AFP)

LVMH, the world's biggest luxury company, posted a 1% rise in organic sales in the second quarter on Tuesday, missing analyst estimates, and likely adding to investor jitters about slowing growth in the sector.

Sales at the French group, owner of labels Louis Vuitton, Tiffany & Co. and Hennessy, grew to 20.98 billion euros ($22.8 billion), a 1% rise on an organic basis, which strips out currency effects and acquisitions.

The figure fell below analyst expectations for revenues of 21.6 billion euros, according to an LSEG poll based on six analysts.

The report from luxury sector bellwether LVMH, which is Europe's second-largest listed company, worth around 340 billion euros, comes amid concerns about weak sales of designer fashions in the sector's key market, China.

The group's fashion and leather goods division, which includes the Louis Vuitton and Christian Dior brands and accounts for nearly half of group sales and the bulk of operating profit, grew 1%, slowing slightly from the previous quarter's 2% rise.

"While remaining vigilant in the current context, the group approaches the second half of the year with confidence," said LVMH Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Bernard Arnault in a statement.