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).



Dolce&Gabbana CEO Ready to Open Capital to New Investors

The logo of Italian designers Dolce & Gabbana is seen at a branch office at Bahnhofstrasse shopping street in Zurich, Switzerland September 9, 2020. REUTERS/Arnd Wiegmann
The logo of Italian designers Dolce & Gabbana is seen at a branch office at Bahnhofstrasse shopping street in Zurich, Switzerland September 9, 2020. REUTERS/Arnd Wiegmann
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Dolce&Gabbana CEO Ready to Open Capital to New Investors

The logo of Italian designers Dolce & Gabbana is seen at a branch office at Bahnhofstrasse shopping street in Zurich, Switzerland September 9, 2020. REUTERS/Arnd Wiegmann
The logo of Italian designers Dolce & Gabbana is seen at a branch office at Bahnhofstrasse shopping street in Zurich, Switzerland September 9, 2020. REUTERS/Arnd Wiegmann

Dolce&Gabbana is ready to consider opening up its capital to new investors either through a listing or other routes, the Italian fashion house's CEO said.
"We are now ready to consider opening our capital to third parties through a listing or other financial instruments," CEO Alfonso Dolce said in an interview published on Monday in Corriere della Sera's L'Economia weekly supplement.
The financing must "not compromise the ethical value of our company, its respectful growth," said Dolce, brother of Domenico, who founded the group and runs it in partnership with Stefano Gabbana, Reuters reported.
In May, the CEO did not rule out a possible future stock market listing, but said the move was not a priority.
Dolce&Gabbana's revenue for the 2023-2024 fiscal year, which ended in March, was up 17% to 1.871 billion euros ($2.04 billion), said Dolce, adding that he hoped to repeat this growth this year.
The fashion house will open 12 new stores in the US, including at 695 Madison Avenue in New York, the former Hermes location, with more than 2,000 square meters over five floors.
"The United States are vital, we already have 72 stores, plus four in Canada, together they represent 28% of our turnover, compared to 16% in China," said Dolce.