Asos back online after warehouse 'arson'

Asos has resumed taking orders after its main distribution centre suffered from an arson attack over the weekend.

The online fashion retailer said on Monday morning that it had been taking orders from 2am - 52 hours after the fire broke out at its Barnsley base.

Shares in the company fell 3pc in early trading on Monday morning to around £26.70 - a 16-month low.

Nobody was injured in the incident, but Asos said around 20pc of the stock held at the warehouse had been "compromised".

The fire broke out on Friday night, in an incident that South Yorkshire police are treating as deliberate.

Based on a stock count at the end of May, the company had £159m of stock with around 70pc of this held at the Barnsley unit. Asos said it was insured for all stock losses and business interruption.

However, resuming trading ahead of the market's opening on Monday is a major boost to the company. Analysts had speculated that shares could fall further if the website was still not online by the start of the week.

"None of the technology, automation or structure of the building has been affected by the fire," Asos said.