Asos, the online fashion retailer, is now valued at £4.3bn while AO.com and Boohoo have market capitalisations of £1.4bn and £640m respectively after recent IPOs despite barely making a profit. Ocado, the online grocer, is worth £2.7bn and has never made an annual pre-tax profit.
Shares in the retailer have dipped 15pc so far in 2014 after Asos warned in a trading update that profits would be lower than expected as it increases investment in warehouse capacity and IT.
In the company's half-year results, unveiled on Wednesday, Asos reported that sales rose 34pc to £482m. However, pre-tax profits fell 22pc to £20.1m in the six months to end of February.
Mr Robertson added: "Asos is not and has never been about the short-term; the scale of the global opportunity remains as exciting as ever and we are investing for the many opportunities ahead."
Asos, which stands for As Seen on Screen, was founded in 2000 by Quentin Griffiths and Mr Robertson, a former advertising executive. It targets “fashion-forward twenty somethings” and has attracted fans including United States First Lady Michelle Obama and singer Rita Ora. It has more than 8m customers around the world.
Earlier this week, analysts at Barclays said the company could be worth £100 per share, roughly double its present share price.
Shares in Asos rose 598p to £52.13.
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