ASOS plc (/ˈsɒs/ AY-soss) is a British online fashion and cosmetic retailer. The company was founded in 2000 in London, primarily aimed at young adults. The website sells over 850 brands as well as its own range of clothing and accessories, and ships to all 196 countries from fulfilment centres in the United Kingdom, the United States, and Europe.

ASOS originally stood for AsSeenOnScreen with the tagline “Buy what you see on film and TV” because it exclusively sold imitations of clothing from those mediums (for example, Brad Pitt’s red leather jacket from the 1999 film Fight Club). However, it no longer has that meaning and is generally stylised as an uppercase acronym, although the company’s logo represents it in lower case.

ASOS’ headquarters are in Camden Town, at Greater London House, with additional offices in Berlin and Birmingham. As of 2013, their main fulfilment centre is in Barnsley, South Yorkshire, where they employ 3,500 workers. The customer care department is based in Leavesden. The Danish company Bestseller A/S, owned by the business magnate Anders Holch Povlsen, is ASOS’ largest stakeholder, with a 26% share.

History

2000–2004: Founding and listing

ASOS was established on 3 June 2000, by Nick Robertson, Andrew Regan, Quentin Griffiths, and Deborah Thorpe. In 2001, ASOS was admitted to the Alternative Investment Market (AIM) on the London Stock Exchange. In 2003, ASOS shareholders agreed to change the names of AsSeenOnScreen Holdings PLC and AsSeenOnScreen Limited to ASOS plc and ASOS.com Limited. In 2004, the company reported a maiden profit, with sales almost doubling in its first half. In 2004, ASOS introduced their own label for women’s clothing.

2005–2012: Development

In 2005, the Buncefield Fuel Depot explosion led to the closure of the business for six weeks and £5m of stock was lost. In 2008, ASOS debuted kidswear on its site, however the branded market subsequently suffered declines at the expense of fast-growing own-label kidswear offers. In 2010, ASOS announced it would no longer offer kidswear, to concentrate on its core young adult fashion market.

In the final quarter of 2010, ASOS launched three international online shops in Germany, France and the US. In November 2010, ASOS launched its marketplace platform for boutiques, vintage collectors, individuals and designers to trade from virtual market stalls to customers globally.

In September 2011, ASOS launched three more sites in Australia, Italy and Spain. In 2012, ASOS opened its first international office in Sydney, Australia, followed by an office in New York.Later on, the company launched its first drama-game show series, called #DIGIDATING, starring AJ Odudu. It was billed as an Internet dating show with backstage drama.

2013–present: Global expansion

In 2013, ASOS opened its first office outside the South East, in Birmingham. Later in 2013, ASOS recalled belts contaminated with radioactive cobalt-60. ASOS Russia and China were launched in the same year. In 2014, a fire in the Barnsley warehouse prevented them from taking orders for almost three days. During the 2014 Formula One season, ASOS was a sponsor of the McLaren Formula One team. In 2015, ASOS had over 4,000 employees and was the UK’s largest independent online and fashion beauty retailer.

In September 2016, an investigative report from Buzzfeed News alleged poor working conditions at ASOS’ warehouse. However, company spokespersons contended that the isolated complaints reported in the Buzzfeed article were not reflective of the general working conditions there.[25][26]

In April 2019, ASOS informed its clients through email that the company is looking into ways of changing its easy returns policy, after research showed customers were manipulating the easy return process. The company also admitted that the previous return policy was environmentally costly.

In April 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic, ASOS was accused by some staff and workers unions of “playing Russian roulette with people’s lives” by failing to adequately enforce preventative measures in their Grimethorpe, Barnsley site. It was claimed that warehouse staff could not safely operate whilst maintaining social distancing, that the staff felt unsafe and that ASOS’s product was not actually essential, thus not meeting the UK Government’s recommendation that only essential workplaces remain open. The company refuted these claims, claiming they had sufficiently changed their operation to comply, Barnsley Council also inspected the site and found that the company was complying.

In October 2020, ASOS Marketplace announced that it would not be charging commission rates on small business transactions to provide support through the COVID-19 pandemic for sellers.

In April 2021, ASOS has partnered with delivery company DPD of DPDgroup to allow shoppers the option to donate unwanted clothing to charity.[34] In June 2021, ASOS launched a partnership with Lush Fresh Handmade Cosmetics.

In February 2021, it was announced that ASOS was to acquire the Topshop, Topman, Miss Selfridge, and HIIT brands from collapsed Philip Green’s Arcadia Group. On 4 February, the three former Arcadia Group brands became wholly owned subsidiaries of ASOS with 300 head-office staff members from Arcadia and Topshop/Topman Limited.

In November 2021, Ian Dyson became Chair.

Following the Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022, ASOS suspended operations in Russia.

Digital marketing

In November 2009, ASOS claimed a ratio of one Twitter follower to eight Facebook fans to 100 active e-mail subscribers. Their 2008 report pointed out that nearly 10% of sales could be directly attributed to email marketing.

In 2017, ASOS launched a campaign intended to take full advantage of the Instagram Stories feature, encouraging users to upload videos of purchased ASOS products. 3 million people interacted with the video in the UK. ASOS uses the #AsSeenOnMe hashtag and any use of the hashtag adds the photos to an ASOS online database.

Popular ASOS Promo Codes

Coupon Description Discount Type Expiry Date
80% Off ASOS Promo Codes & Coupons August 2022 Coupon Code Aug 31,
Extra 30% Off Top Brands ASOS Promo Codes & Coupons Coupon Code
20% Off Back to School ASOS Promo Codes & Coupons Coupon Code Sep 1,
20% Off ASOS Promo Codes Coupon Code
Extra 30% Off Shoes ASOS Promo Codes August Coupon Code
20% Off ASOS Promo Codes August 2022 Coupon Code Aug 31,

FAQs from ASOS

 

You’ll be instructed to enter a code once you are on the transaction page. There will be a clearly shown area to enter the code. Remember to enter the promo code before you complete the transaction, as it may not be possible to apply the code afterwards.

 

 

Yes, for news, offers, discounts, competitions and more sign up to the ASOS newsletter at the footer of the page.

 

 

With so many great brands, trends and designs to pick between onsite, ASOS thought they’d make it all the easier to browse their stock wherever you may be. That’s why you can download the ASOS app to shop their selection on your Android or Apple phone, or an iPad if you prefer.

 

Q&A with ASOS

ASOS

ASOS Black Friday Sale

Last year ASOS did a huge sitewide discount where almost the entire site was up to 70% off. There was no code required and they dubbed it their “biggest deal ever.” We’re willing to bet they’ll offer the same style discount this year. Check the site on November 26th for the full ASOS 2021 Black Friday sale.

How do you use an ASOS promo code?

You’ll be instructed to enter a code once you are on the transaction page. There will be a clearly shown area to enter the code. Remember to enter the promo code before you complete the transaction, as it may not be possible to apply the code afterwards.

Is there a ASOS newsletter I can sign up to?

Yes, for news, offers, discounts, competitions and more sign up to the ASOS newsletter at the footer of the page.

Is there an ASOS app that I can use to shop on the go?

With so many great brands, trends and designs to pick between onsite, ASOS thought they’d make it all the easier to browse their stock wherever you may be. That’s why you can download the ASOS app to shop their selection on your Android or Apple phone, or an iPad if you prefer.

Shipping with ASOS

You’ll be delighted to hear that ASOS offers Standard Shipping (3-6 business days) to every state for roughly $4, although this fee may rise for more remote delivery locations. To get your goods even quicker, you can sign up to one year’s worth of Premier Shipping to have unlimited 2 day shipping.

Returns/Cancellations to ASOS

ASOS care about their customer satisfaction and offer refunds on most items up to 28 days from initial receipt. Simply fill out the return label included in your original package and take it to your nearest UPS Ground location. If you no longer have your package, you can print off a new return note online.

How to contact ASOS

If you’ve got a query about a payment you’ve made, ongoing delivery or technical issue, send a message directly through their online Contact Form. You can also contact ASOS via their online live chat function on the Help page.