Trading Update

For immediate release                                                                 11 January 2018

This announcement contains inside information

boohoo.com plc - trading statement for the four months ended 31 December 2017

"Leading the fashion eCommerce market"

(1): CER designates Constant Exchange Rate translation of foreign currency revenue. (2) ROE is rest of Europe. (3) ROW is rest of world.

Highlights for the four months ended 31 December 2017

Group

·     Record revenues for all brands in highly successful trading period

·     Strong revenue growth of 100% (93% CER⁽¹⁾) spread across all geographic regions

·     Gross margin 52.5% (2017: 53.1%). Retail gross margin 54.2% (2017: 54.4%)

·     Strong balance sheet with net cash of £127 million (2017: £69 million)

boohoo

·     Revenue £142.6 million, up 25% (21% CER) against strong prior year comparative (+55%)

·     Year-to-date revenue £324.4 million, up 34% (31% CER)

·     Gross margin 50.7%, down 240bps in line with planned investments in the customer proposition. Retail gross margin 52.5% (2017: 54.4%)

PrettyLittleThing

·     Revenue £73.8 million, up 191% on prior year comparative

·     Year-to-date revenue £146.4 million, up 232% on prior year comparative

·     Gross margin 55.3%, retail gross margin 57.0%

Nasty Gal

·     Revenue £11.9 million, increasing month-on-month from start-up in March 2017

·     Year-to-date revenue £20.2 million

Guidance

Group revenue growth for this financial year is now expected to be around 90%, ahead of our previous guidance of around 80%, which was raised from 60% at our interim results in late September. We now expect group adjusted EBITDA margins to be between 9.25% and 9.75%, narrowing the range from the 9% to 10% as guided at our interim results.

Mahmud Kamani and Carol Kane, joint CEOs, commented:

"We are delighted to report another set of strong financial and operational results, with record sales in the four months to December across all our brands. The Black Friday period was our most successful ever and we traded well throughout the period under review. boohoo has continued to perform well, delivering strong revenue growth on increasingly challenging comparatives last year. PrettyLittleThing has continued to deliver exceptional results and Nasty Gal is making excellent progress in its first year. Our focus remains on the customer proposition: offering the best range of the latest fashion at affordable prices, coupled with great customer service."

Investor and analyst conference call

boohoo.com will host a conference call for analysts and investors at 9.30am (UK time), 11 January. Dial in details:

Notice of results

boohoo.com expects to report its results for the 12 months to 28 February 2018 on 25 April 2018.

Enquiries

About boohoo.com plc

"Leading the fashion eCommerce market"

Founded in Manchester in 2006, the group started life as boohoo.com, an inclusive and innovative brand targeting young, value-orientated customers. For over 10 years, boohoo has been pushing boundaries to bring its customers up-to-date and inspirational fashion, 24/7. boohoo has grown rapidly in the UK and internationally,  expanding its offering with range extensions into menswear and children's wear, through boohooMAN and boohooKIDS. 

In early 2017 the group extended its customer offering through the acquisitions of the vibrant fashion brand PrettyLittleThing, and free-thinking brand Nasty Gal. United by a shared customer value proposition, our brands design, source, market and sell great quality clothes, shoes and accessories at unbeatable prices. This investment proposition has helped us grow from a single brand, into a major multi-brand online retailer, leading the fashion eCommerce market for 16 to 30-year-olds around the world. Today the boohoo group sells to over 8 million customers in almost every country in the world. 

Cautionary Statement

Certain statements included or incorporated by reference within this announcement may constitute "forward-looking statements" in respect of the group's operations, performance, prospects and/or financial condition. Forward-looking statements are sometimes, but not always, identified by their use of a date in the future or such words and words of similar meaning as "anticipates", "aims", "due", "could", "may", "will", "should", "expects", "believes", "intends", "plans", "potential", "targets", "goal" or "estimates". By their nature, forward-looking statements involve a number of risks, uncertainties and assumptions and actual results or events may differ materially from those expressed or implied by those statements. Accordingly, no assurance can be given that any particular expectation will be met and reliance should not be placed on any forward-looking statement. Additionally, forward-looking statements regarding past trends or activities should not be taken as a representation that such trends or activities will continue in the future. No responsibility or obligation is accepted to update or revise any forward-looking statement resulting from new information, future events or otherwise. Nothing in this announcement should be construed as a profit forecast. This announcement does not constitute or form part of any offer or invitation to sell, or any solicitation of any offer to purchase any shares or other securities in the Company, nor shall it or any part of it or the fact of its distribution form the basis of, or be relied on in connection with, any contract or commitment or investment decisions relating thereto, nor does it constitute a recommendation regarding the shares or other securities of the Company. Past performance cannot be relied upon as a guide to future performance and persons needing advice should consult an independent financial adviser. Statements in this announcement reflect the knowledge and information available at the time of its preparation. Liability arising from anything in this announcement shall be governed by English law. Nothing in this announcement shall exclude any liability under applicable laws that cannot be excluded in accordance with such laws.