ASOS chief executive Nick Robertson steps down
Online fashion retailer ASOS has announced that its chief executive Nick Robertson has stood down 15 years after founding the business.
He will be succeeded by the company’s chief operating officer Nick Beighton although Robertson will remain on the board as a non-executive director.
Beighton joined ASOS in April of 2009 as chief financial officer and was appointed chief operating officer last year to widen his management responsibilities beyond finance. In April, the company appointed Helen Ashton as chief financial officer and she joined the company yesterday.
Brian McBride, chairman of ASOS, said: “We are fortunate to have such an able successor for the CEO role in Nick Beighton. Nick has unique experience of the company built over six years, equipping him to drive ASOS along its growth trajectory to become the world’s leading online fashion retailer for 20 – somethings.”
ASOS was founded by Robertson and his business partner Quentin Griffiths in 2000 under the name of As Seen on Screen after the pair had the idea of starting an internet business where people could find clothes or accessories they had seen celebrities wearing.
From 2002, the business was known as ASOS and in the year to 31 August 2014 the company saw its retail sales climb by 27% to £955.3 million. However, there was a fall in full-year pre-tax profits after ASOS experienced difficult trading conditions overseas and a fire at its main UK distribution facility.
Last month, ASOS reported that it had increased its retail sales by 20% in the four months to 30 June 2015 and that the number of active customers had grown by 11% to 9.7 million.
McBride added: “On behalf of everyone who works at ASOS, I’d like to acknowledge Nick Robertson’s extraordinary achievement. His passion and vision have built a start-up into a world class company. We are all delighted that Nick will continue to contribute to the company that he started.”
