What does ASOS stand for? Brand history explored as Andrew Robb in the mix for CEO

Recently, ASOS chief executive Nick Beighton brought an end to his 12-year career with a sudden departure. He started at the company in 2009 and took over the retail brand from its founder Nick Robertson in 2015.

Beighton, upon his resignation, pointed out how much the brand has grown under his supervision. He said that when he joined the company, it had annual sales of £220 million with only 200 employees, while upon his leaving, stated:

“I leave a business reporting turnover of almost £4 billion, with more than 3000 fantastic Asos-ers delivering for 26 million customers in 200 markets around the world”

With the farewell of its former CEO, the brand is considering who will be the successor of the position and former executive of Farfetch, Andrew Robb, is in the running.

Andrew Robb, left Farfetch in 2020 after a decade of service. Before Farfetch, he worked with media company 'Bauer' where he was managing director and one of the founders of Cocosa.com, a fashion ecommerce business.

He also has three years of work experience at eBay as the head of the motors category development. His current role is at Felix Capital as their senior adviser, while also being an early-stage investor at companies such as Deliveroo and Farfetch.

While his expertise and experience in the online fashion sector is greatly admirable and recognized, his lack of experience in running a public company might stand in his way to become a CEO at the label.

---

What does ASOS stand for : All about brand history

ASOS is a British fashion and cosmetic retailer founded on June 3 2000 in London. The website is primarily aimed at young adults and sells over 850 brands. It also has its own range of apparel and accessories.

ASOS originally stood for 'As Seen On Screen' because it sold exclusive items from the television and films sported by celebrities. However, now it isn't exclusive to this meaning and is stylised as an uppercase acronym.

The brand was established by Nick Robertson, Quentin Griffiths, Andrew Regan and Deborah Thrope. In 2003, shareholders changed the names of AsSeenOnScreen Holdings PLC to ASOS plc and AsSeenOnScreen Limited to ASOS.com Limited.

In 2004, the retail company launched its first label for womenswear, from which the company made a profit of £120,000. The creation was worn by renowned singer Rihanna and by Michelle Obama.

The label faced a tragedy in 2005 when the Fuel Depot explosion took place, which resulted in the loss of £5m worth of stocks. The brand debuted its kidswear in 2008 on its site; however, in 2010, it announced the end of kids-wear and focused on young adult fashion.

The label rose from the depths and started to expand its business abroad by opening many stores. It also expanded the business into its own menswear label and cosmetics in 2014.

In 2012, the company launched its first show, which was a drama-game, called #DIGIDATING. In 2015, the brand grew so much that it was the UK's largest independent online fashion and cosmetic beauty retailer, with 4,000 employees.

In February 2021, the label also acquired many brands such as Topshop, Miss Selfridge, Topman and HIIT.