Asos boss enjoys pay deal jump despite company’s heavy losses

The boss of Asos has seen his pay deal jump by almost 44% for the past year despite widening losses at the online fashion giant.

The latest annual report for the London-listed retailer showed that chief executive Jose Antonio Ramos Calamonte was boosted by a bonus payment for the past year.

Official documents showed that Mr Ramos Calamonte has received a pay package worth £1.17 million for the year to September 1.

This represents a 43.9% increase on the £814,858 total pay deal he received a year earlier.

The increase was due to more than £376,000 in bonus payments, including a roughly £361,000 bonus for the year, which is linked to performance targets.

Mr Ramos Calamonte received the bonus as he leads its through a major turnaround programme, designed to return it to profitability and halt a recent sales slump.

Earlier this month, Asos told shareholders that it slumped deeper into the red with pre-tax losses of £379.3 million for the year to September 1, against losses of £296.7 million the previous year.

It revealed the challenges of battling to clear a £1.1 billion stock mountain since 2022, with £520 million still outstanding and about a £100 million write-down on the value of its remaining stock.

It also reported that sales tumbled 16% to £2.9 billion over the year, with a heavier fall than previous forecasts.

However, the chief executive said it was seeing “green shoots” start to appear from its overhaul process.

The annual report showed that Dave Murray, who joined the business as chief finance officer in April, received £259,113 for the period to September 1.

A spokeswoman for Asos said: “All employee remuneration is approved by the board and based on industry benchmarks and achieving strategically important objectives.

“Despite challenging market conditions, Asos has made considerable progress to transform the business over the last 12 months.

“Product is in the strongest position it has been in for years, while profitability has been fundamentally improved, leading to the delivery of positive adjusted EBITDA (earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation) and significantly improved free cash flow.”