ONLINE fashion retailer Asos has unveiled strong Christmas trading figures, underlining clothes shoppers’ rapid move to the internet.

The firm posted a 38 per cent hike in sales after ringing up retail revenues of £335.7m in the four months to December 31, with analysts expecting the firm to smash through its £1bn turnover target by the end of August.

Asos’ success has highlighted the importance of the internet to retailers.

The firm – targeted at 20- somethings keen to emulate the style of celebrities – said UK sales were particularly robust, beating its performance from a year earlier with growth of 37 per cent, while international revenues lifted 38 per cent.

The group saw the number of active customers grow to 7.9 million at the end of last year, up 41 per cent year-onyear.

David Cameron’s wife, Samantha, wore a £42 Asos dress to watch the Prime Minister’s conference speech in October.

Nick Robertson, chief executive of Asos, said: ‘‘We have enjoyed another strong Christmas and made a good start to the financial year.’’ Its performance provides a further sign that the Christmas season was a stellar one for online retailers and those with a strong internet presence.

Figures from the British Retail Consortium last week showed web sales grew at the fastest pace for more than three years in December, up 19.2 per cent, with impressive performances from chains such as John Lewis and Next fuelled by online trade.

Asos said the first week in December was its strongest as shoppers stocked up on party dresses for the festive season.

Oversized coats and Christmas jumpers were other best sellers.

The firm said it benefited from recent efforts to improve its service, having introduced free delivery and returns and an extended 9pm cut off for next day delivery in the UK.

Freddie George, retail analyst at Cantor Fitzgerald, said trading at Asos was “impressive, but broadly in line with market expectations”.

Europe was the star performer for Asos in the fourmonth period, with sales rising by 69 per cent, while revenues increased 28 per cent in the US and 19 per cent elsewhere internationally.

It recently launched in China, marking its eighth local language site outside the UK.