Asos to open Facebook store as sales soar

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Asos, the online fashion retailer, has revealed that revenues from its US website will match those generated in the UK in the "medium term" after it posted a 59 per cent surge in sales.

The retailer, which was founded in 2000, also said it will launch its first "Facebook Store" on 27 January; it will allow users on the social network site to buy its products using their existing Asos log in.

Asos said the launch of its US website in October had helped increase sales in the country by 267 per cent for the three months up to 31 December. This means US sales are increasing faster than UK sales did in the early days of the company, when the UK business was growing at around 100 per cent.

Nick Robertson, the chief executive of Asos, said: "The US will be at least as big as the UK in the medium term, which is very exciting," but he declined to provide a timeframe.

In its third quarter, Asos increased retail sales by 59 per cent to £100.03m. This growth was powered by a rise in international sales of 156 per cent to £43.72m. Despite last month's heavy snow, UK sales grew by 23 per cent to £56.32m, slightly faster than in its second quarter. Unlike several other retail bosses, Mr Robertson refused to blame the snow for preventing a higher growth in sales. "We suffered on," he said. "December had its challenges."

Asos said that millions of its users already interact with its website through Facebook. James Hart, its e-commerce director, said: "Our Facebook Store will allow them to do this directly through Facebook." The Asos site attracts more than 11 million unique visitors each month.