By Karim Hammam
Online fashion retailer Asos has disclosed that a cyber attack on October 6 knocked group sales by 2% to 4%, equating to a financial hit of roughly £4 million to £8 million, with UK trade particularly affected. The company said the impact was temporary and sales had remained flat since its August 30 year-end, giving confidence the disruption would not last.
Attack details and customer data
An internal investigation found that an unauthorised party gained access to an employee account by impersonating a trusted contact to obtain login credentials. The hacker then used those credentials to access information on third-party platforms used by Asos. The breach exposed basic customer data such as names and contact details, but did not include payment information or account passwords. Asos apologised to customers after they received a phone alert stating the company had been hacked.
Operational response
The retailer said its website and app remained operational and safe throughout the incident. As a precaution, it temporarily paused certain marketing and customer relationship management activities for two days before resuming planned activity. The group has since implemented further security measures across the business.
Financial results and outlook
Asos guided for underlying core profits of £180 million to £200 million for the current year to August 2027, up from £170.3 million reported for 2025/26, a 39% jump. The company swung to a pre-tax profit of £24.4 million from a loss of £281.6 million the previous year. Group gross merchandise value (GMV) returned to growth in the final quarter for the first time in four years, though like-for-like GMV fell 5% over the full year. Cost savings from workforce reductions and efficiency initiatives helped offset inflationary pressures.
Market reaction
Shares in the FTSE 250 firm rose 6% in morning trading. Chris Beauchamp, chief market analyst at IG, said the fourth-quarter recovery in GMV pointed towards a continued recovery and suggested the long nightmare for Asos may be over.
