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Ecommerce Asos

Asos founder Nick Robertson resigns as CEO after 15 years

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By John McCarthy, Opinion Editor

September 2, 2015 | 2 min read

Online clothing retailer Asos has announced that founder Nick Robertson is to stand down as chief executive after 15 years in the role.

After launching the company during the at the height of the dot com boom, Robertson will stand down after a turbulent 18 months of trading. Succeeding Robertson, who will continue to work with the business as a non-executive board member, is former Asos chief financial officer Nick Beighton.

It is not clear why Robertson has left his role at the summit of the business. However, the departure comes amid a bumpy period for the business. Asos, hailed as one of Britain's retail success stories due to a strong online offering underpinned by mobile and personalisation, has in the last 18 months received three profit warnings culminated by a 2014 warehouse fire that heavily impacted sales.

Brian McBride, Asos chairman, said: "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 fortunate to have such an able successor for the chief executive 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 (or As Seen On Screen as the start-up was originally known) is now a global operation worth an estimated £6bn.

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