ASOS

Company: ASOS Plc

Brand value: US$1,680 million

Change since 2019: -30%

Headquarter city: London

Category: Apparel

Year formed: 2000

ASOS was a UK pioneer in online fashion targeting consumers in their 20’s, but found itself in an increasingly crowded market for fast fashion online, and in 2019 had a difficult year and issued two profit warnings. The brand says it has now staged a turnaround, thanks to a bumper Black Friday and strong sales over the Christmas period. ASOS chief executive said the retailer had improved product choice, stock availability, presentation and social media engagement – and, crucially, had moved on from IT chaos in warehouses and a poor Black Friday the previous year.

In early 2020, ASOS began trialling its “See My Fit” Augmented Reality tool, which offers a simulated image of a given product on different body sizes and types. During COVID-19, ASOS donated clothing to front-line NHS staff and launched limited-edition “heroes” t-shirts and hoodies, with profits from the sale of these items matched by ASOS and donated to coronavirus charities.