Digital demand: Asos sales rose 36 per cent despite customers ditching trendy dresses in lockdown
The latest lockdown has finished off some of the UK s most loved retail businesses but for others it has been a blessing in disguise.
While traditional retailers such as Marks & Spencer that rely on customers leaving the house have struggled, more nimble and digitally-focused rivals have thrived.
The divide was underlined as online fashion seller Asos, food deliverer Just Eat Takeaway and supermarket upstart Lidl revealed barnstorming results for the Christmas period.
Asos led the charge as customers flocked to its trendy website on their phones, leading to sales rising by 24 per cent to £1.36 billion in the four months to December 31. In the UK, sales were up by 36 per cent to £554.1 million. It expects more of the same in 2021 and has ramped up profit expectations. Many in the City had expected Asos to take a hit, as Christmas is traditionally when young women buy cocktail
These figures were achieved despite a £1.61m (66%) reduction in marketing spend for the period. Sosandar said the investment it made during the year in