Asos to shed light on transformation progress as sales set to fall

Asos has confirmed it’s in talks over adjustments to its borrowing amenities (Asos/PA)
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sos traders will likely be hopeful the net vogue agency can present progress in its revival plans when it stories its newest buying and selling figures subsequent week.

It comes after various rival retailers, together with Subsequent and JD Sports activities, recorded optimistic gross sales updates in latest days, shrugging off wider issues over shopper spending.

Asos will present a buying and selling assertion for shareholders and analysts on its efficiency over the previous monetary yr on Tuesday.

It comes after a troublesome two years for the retail group, which has seen its shares tumble by virtually 90% after it was bitten by weaker shopper demand as a result of cost-of-living squeeze and a soar in its personal provide chain prices.

In June, its shares dropped to their lowest for nearly 14 years after it tapped its shareholders for £80 million and mentioned it might borrow an extra £275 million so as to bolster its funds.

Asos beforehand mentioned the funding increase can be used for its turnaround plan, which is able to embrace shaking up the corporate’s strategy to purchasing and merchandising, and giving the agency extra monetary headroom.

Aarin Chiekrie, fairness analyst at Hargreaves Lansdown, mentioned: “The money injection has offered some wiggle room to execute the continued transformation, so we’ll be searching for early indicators that it’s bearing fruit in subsequent week’s buying and selling replace.

“With income declining at double-digit charges within the third quarter, profitability reasonably than development is now the order of the day at Asos.”

Bosses on the firm have pointed in direction of a double-digit decline in gross sales for the previous yr because it has been impacted by stress on shopper budgets.

Analysts at Peel Hunt mentioned they predict the corporate could have seen revenues of £3.52 billion for the yr to August, dropping from £3.93 billion within the earlier yr.

The autumn in gross sales has additionally seen the corporate construct important ranges of inventory, which have then needed to be discounted, to the detriment of profitability.

The corporate has mentioned it is going to focus extra on bettering its profitability within the short-term, so traders will likely be eager to see a discount in inventory ranges and enchancment in revenue margins.

Peel Hunt’s John Stevenson and Jonathan Pritchard mentioned: “Whereas we are able to see potential for forecast momentum to show optimistic on price, margin and financing prices over the following six to 12 months, we anticipate gross sales momentum to stay difficult, albeit on an bettering development.”

The replace additionally comes a month after Frasers Group, Mike Ashley’s retail car, elevated its stake in Asos as soon as once more to virtually 17%.

Frasers is now the third largest shareholder behind Anders Povlsen, the proprietor of Denmark’s Bestseller chain, and Camelot Capital Companions.