Proactive’s Post

Business is cyclical. Has there ever been better evidence of this? 📈 In 2019 Frasers Group buys Game and sofa.com 📈 In 2022 Frasers buys Missguided out of administration 📈 In 2021 ASOS.com buys TOPSHOP TOPMAN Some purchases opportunistic, some strategic on the back of the boom in online sales, accelerated by e-commerce. 📉 2023 Topshop and Misguided both sold. 📉Additionally The Body Shop will be in new ownership for the third time in nearly 20 years. Strategic sales? Opportunistic cash generation? Balance sheet and profitability improvement? Frasers' stake in ASOS (and a lesser extent Boohoo Group PLC) are not far off the required amount to make an offer. Wait for a poor quarter update and strike? What do you think 2024 holds for retail, the supply chain and the wider economy? #acquisition #sales #mergersandacquisitions #consolidation #supplychain #retailmanagement #economicgrowth #economy https://lnkd.in/e6k7T4Xp

Frasers Group Increases Stakes in Boohoo and Asos In a strategic move, Frasers Group, controlled by Mike Ashley and known for brands like Sports Direct, House of Fraser, and Flannels, has upped its stakes in fast fashion retailers Boohoo and Asos. 📊 The Numbers Frasers Group increased its shareholding in Boohoo from 13.4% to 15.1%. The share in Asos was also raised from 19.7% to 22.8%. 🤝 Strategic Collaborations Frasers Group first invested in Boohoo in June, citing similarities between Boohoo and its own brands, 'I Saw It First' and 'Missguided', opening doors for future collaborations. 📉 Market Performance - Boohoo's shares have fallen around 50% in the last six months and more than 90% since their peak during the pandemic. - Asos has seen a 47% decline over the same period. 🛒 Additional Moves Frasers is also reportedly set to acquire German retailer SportScheck, further diversifying its portfolio. 🔍 Analysis This move by Frasers Group is noteworthy, especially considering the recent market performance of both Boohoo and Asos. It indicates a long-term investment strategy and possibly hints at future collaborations or even acquisitions. #FrasersGroup #Boohoo #Asos #InvestmentStrategy #RetailIndustry

ASOS.com is in trouble, but is offloading one of its top performing brands really the right way to stem losses? The thought of this once iconic label being sold to SHEIN is almost unthinkable. True, TOPSHOP TOPMAN is a shadow of its former self, having lost its edge years before its bricks and mortar collapse, but still... I can't help but think that now is the perfect time to bring it back to the high street. Maybe find a partner that can restore some former glory, make it a destination once more. #Ecommerce isn't infallible, after all. Consumers are growing tired of online-only interactions. Pure players are struggling with rising costs associated with manufacturing and distribution. I think there is a middle ground to be found here, aligning physical and online to craft a new kind of #retailexperience. What better guinea pig than #Topshop to test that out? #retailmusings #acquisitions #asos #shein #fastfashion

Frasers Group now owns almost 23% of ASOS.com. News that Frasers Group now owns over 15% of Boohoo Group PLC shares has been topped by news that its ASOS stake is now even bigger. The acquisitive retail giant has a holding adding up to almost 23% of ASOS shares. The latest in a series of Boohoo increases came late last week relatively soon after the company made its first investment in the firm in June. As for ASOS, Frasers has been investing there for longer, first taking a stake of 5% in the firm last October. Now, a year later, its holding is just shy of 22.8%, up significantly from its previous holding of 19.7%. Officially, the company has said that it wants to be a "supportive stakeholder" in a similar way to its holdings in major names, Mulberry England and HUGO BOSS. #FrasersGroup #ASOS #Boohoo #Fashion

Boohoo Group PLC (AIM:BOO) shares rose news after Mike Ashley’s Frasers Group PLC (LSE:FRAS) has increased its stake in the online #fashion #retailer again, as the retail tycoon’s asset buying spree continues. In a stock exchange filing, Frasers said it has raised its stake in the company from 10.4% to 13.4%. In September, Frasers said it has raised its holding from to 9.1%. It continues Frasers’ acquisition spree which has seen it pick up stakes in electricals giant Curry’s, its online counterpart AO World and Boohoo’s rival Asos. This adds to other investments in German fashion designer Hugo Boss, Manchester-based clothing label N Brown, luxury handbag brand Mulberry and even a sliver of Next. Boohoo shares rose 2.3% to 30.69p on the news while Frasers was up 1.8% at 819.78p. More at #Proactive #ProactiveInvestors http://ow.ly/sAFl104WU8g #AIM #BOO

ASOS.com PLC (LSE:ASC) is facing a huge uphill climb regarding its turnaround strategy. Yet if it does reach the summit, a whole host of short sellers, environmental activists and almost every #retail entrepreneur in the UK– bar Mike Ashley – will likely appear very surprised. Shares in the e-commerce group slipped over 10% on Wednesday after a terrible set of full-year results which saw an almost £300 million pre-tax loss and downgrades for 2024 guidance. Despite these tailwinds, it's navigating two different strategies, the combination of which appears to be one of the biggest problems for the fashion group. When #Asos saw the end of the pandemic, it was flying high: shares were at the highest point since 2018, customer demand had rallied and talks of moving from AIM to the main market had surrounded much of investor sentiment. More at #Proactive #ProactiveInvestors http://ow.ly/LY4W104ZNtr #LSE #ASC

ASOS.com (LSE:ASC), the online #fashion #retailer, has been well and truly down on its luck in 2023, with shares dropping by close to 50% and shoppers reverting from the ease of online buying to traditional in-store purchasing. Therefore, investors will be hoping when it provides a fourth-quarter update on Tuesday 26, it can give shareholders something to smile about. Rivals such as JD Sports, Next and even Dunelm have upgraded guidance in recent weeks and despite most industry players noting improving trading conditions and growing #revenues, sales at the e-commerce group have faltered and the short sellers are circling. #LSE #ASC More at #Proactive #ProactiveInvestors http://ow.ly/qHbk104Vau5

ASOS.com PLC (LSE:ASC), the online fashion retailer, has suffered a lot since the pandemic and 2023 but if is to improve investor sentiment, its full-year results due Wednesday 25 October must reveal something bright. Shares are down 25% in 2023 and have fallen more than 93% since its pre-pandemic highs and the fact it’s the second most shorted stock in London, behind only peer Boohoo, is only adding fuel to the anti-e-commerce fire. Sales slipped by 15% in the London-listed firm’s fourth quarter and with the number of active customers slipping too, Asos may not have much more time before additional shortsellers circle – or even worse it ends up suffering the same fate as Arcadia Group, Toys R Us and Wilko. However, Asos has a plan. More at #Proactive #ProactiveInvestors #ASOS http://ow.ly/rTwH104Yjg7

ASOS.com plans to remove nonstrategic smaller brands from its outlet in a move to drive profits and thereby revenue as a part of its 'Driving Change' policy outlined last year. #retailer #retailbrand #retailexpansion #brandstrategy