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We’ve all been there. A friend’s wedding is three days away and you don’t have anything to wear. The last thing you want to do is drag yourself around high-street shops, so it inevitably you turn to ASOS. After all, the company is known for its next day delivery and simple free returns service. Though many of us are reliant on the online fast fashion retailer for last-minute holiday purchases or big seasonal shops, a new report shows that ASOS’s pre-tax losses ballooned to almost £300m in the year to 3 September, compared with £31m the previous year, according to the results published on Wednesday (1 November). Despite its huge popularity, the once undisputed queen of online retailers now faces stiff competition from abroad, challenging economic headwinds, and a maturing clientele potentially seeking a more tailored experience. Leading some to ask, is ASOS in SOS? When ASOS was launched in 2000, the online retailer was considered revolutionary. It was like a supersize department store at your fingertips and became the first online retailer that UK customers could visit and find hundreds of dresses for £30 all in one place. But, in recent years, the company has been cutting its stock as it faces severe profit and revenue losses. In July and August, the retailer said it was hit by wet during the summer months, forcing the retailer to cut its stock by 30 per cent. Some experts now say that the holes within ASOS’s business model are becoming apparent. Rick Smith, Managing Director of business recovery firm Forbes Burton tells The Independent that ASOS’s business model of allowing large numbers of free returns makes the company susceptible to financial losses during challenging economic conditions. “The buying culture within their target demographic sees several items returned for each order placed, which can make for slim profit margins,” Smith explains. “ASOS has enjoyed a stratospheric rise since their inception, but have perhaps reached their ceiling now and need to cut their cloth accordingly, especially given the amount of economic headwinds [such as as the cost of living crisis] in play at the moment.” The buying habits of consumers have also shifted in the 23 years since ASOS launched. Smith says that sifting through hundreds of products has become a painstaking and often unenjoyable task for its customers. “Once large online retailers get to a certain size, it can become laborious for customers to scour their whole catalogue,” Smith explains. “The online fashion landscape is evolving now to a point that customers are looking for a more tailored service from websites.” With the rise of shopping on social media, too, young people are increasingly buying individual items from retailers on Instagram and TikTok or instead shopping directly from the brands that ASOS stocks, such as Pull and Bear, Stüssy and Bershka, which all have their own websites. “ASOS’s busy 20-something [target] market doesn’t necessarily have the time to sift through dozens of item pages,” adds Smith. “So curated collections and recommendations based on user input may be one of the changes they eventually look at.” ASOS, which originally stood for As Seen On Screen, initially started trading with the tagline “Buy what you see on film and TV” as it exclusively sold imitations of clothing worn by celebrities. That business model quickly expanded away from the world of replica products: ASOS now offers 850 affordable to mid-range high-street brands and ships to 196 countries. But the company is also now tackling a debt issue, with net debt including leases now at £648.5m, up from £533m the year before. Analysts predict that the online fashion site may need to raise quick cash soon – potentially through the rumoured sale of its Topshop brand, which ASOS acquired when the Arcadia Group went bust in 2021 and closed Topshop’s bricks and mortar stores. Despite the profit slump and predicted future losses, José Antonio Ramos Calamonte, ASOS’s chief executive, said in the report that the company has made “good progress” in “a very challenging environment” and would continue to invest in its brand and stock more fashionable lines of clothing. The company plans to spend £30m more on marketing and said it was going “back to fashion” with its products “geared around fashion and excitement”. As ASOS faces huge losses, it was reported this week that the Chinese-founded retailer Shein has acquired UK company Missguided, with plans to “reignite” the online retailer that was only bought out of administration by Mike Ashley’s Frasers Group a year and a half ago. Despite calls for boycotts from anti-fashion campaigners, Shein is currently valued at around £53bn, having expanded globally and bought many of its rival brands. In 2022, it was the most-googled fashion brand in the world and made a reported £18.9bn in revenue, suggesting that fast fashion is not falling out of favour with consumers who want to find entire outfits on a budget. Read More The funniest and most unique celebrity Halloween costumes of 2023 Kim Kardashian’s ‘power-nipple’ bra isn’t empowering – it’s the stuff of nightmares It’s ‘Phoebe Philo’ day – here’s why fashion fans are so excited The funniest and most unique celebrity Halloween costumes of 2023 Kim Kardashian’s ‘power-nipple’ bra isn’t empowering – it’s the stuff of nightmares It’s ‘Phoebe Philo’ day – here’s why fashion fans are so excited

Norfolk may not seem the most obvious place to look for a boutique place to stay, but the fact is the county can lay claim to some of the best small boutique hotels in the country, especially in the chi-chi reaches of its fabled North Coast. As a county patchworked by country estates – most of them with fancy mansions built by local bigwigs – Norfolk scores particularly well on small and elegant country house hotels that have been gussied up with style and flair for the 21st century. It’s also a county of brilliant pubs, and there are any number of revamped inns that have added cosy rooms and a special food offering. Indeed, Norfolk tends to be a region of small independent businesses rather than mega-chains, and there are one or two small pub groups that place a strong emphasis on high-quality accommodation and food of local provenance. To help you choose where to rest your head, we’ve put together a list of the best boutique places to stay in the county. The best boutique hotels in Norfolk 2023 are: Best for couples: The Ironmongers Best hotel for familes: The Grove Best hotel for foodies: Morston hall Best hotel for walkers: Titchwell Manor Best hotel for shopping: The Assembly House Best budget hotel: The Cliftonville Best for couples: The Irongmongers Location: Aylsham Located in a historic Elizabethan house right at the heart of the small Norfolk town of Aylsham, The Ironmongers is a perfect spot for a couple’s tryst: totally private, with no reception, just a code to gain entrance, and eight beautifully designed guest rooms inspired by the town’s historic trades – as well as ironmongery, the building has hosted a wine merchant, tailors shop and all sorts of different businesses over the years. The large Haberdashery room has a four-poster and lots of fancy silks and satins, but all of the rooms are spacious and welcoming, with solid oak floors, smart TVs, good wifi, tea and coffee-making facilities and en-suite bathrooms with good-sized showers, fluffy towels and toiletries. Heat and hot water are provided by air-source heat pumps, and dogs are welcome in two of the rooms. It’s a B&B without the breakfast, but don’t let that worry you: Norfolk folk swear by the local Bread Source bakery chain and there’s a branch right downstairs, serving delectable croissants and other pastries, sweet and savoury. If that doesn’t take your fancy, the Black Boys pub across the road does an excellent full English breakfast. Best hotel for families: The Grove Location: Cromer Situated between the Norfolk resorts of Cromer and Overstrand, this is not a beach hotel in the traditional sense – there are no sea views. But it has a tucked-away feel that is irresistible, and you can walk to the beach in a matter of minutes, escaping through the trees of the hotel’s secluded garden as if en route to your own secret place. A family-run hotel, it has a welcoming and comfortable feel that can only be achieved after years in the business, with 16 well-appointed guest rooms split between the main house and the Orchard Rooms in the grounds, supplemented by a scattering of self-catering cottages, glamping yurts and a giant shepherds hut. The rooms are simple, understated and homely, with up-to-date furnishings and well-appointed en-suite bathrooms. There’s also a consistently good restaurant, open for lunch and dinner, and service is terrific. Meanwhile, the grounds are home to a heated indoor swimming pool and a funky ‘massage hut’ offering various treatments. Best hotel for foodies: Morston Hall Location: Morston Just a few miles from picturesque Blakeney and just footsteps from Morston Quay in North Norfolk, Morston Hall sits surrounded by beautiful gardens – an oasis of calm in what can be a busy spot during the summer months. Once you’re within the hotel’s flint walls, you feel like nothing bad could happen to you, and you can enjoy the comfy rooms and on-point cooking of chef-patron Galton Blackiston. The rooms are very comfy indeed, divided between the main house and an annex in the garden, and have everything you could possibly need, from private terraces and smart TVs, to Nespresso machines and homemade cookies, fresh milk and still and sparkling water. En-suite bathrooms are large, with a walk-in shower, robes and Noble Isle toiletries and a separate bathtub with its own TV. But the rooms aren’t really the point: you’re paying for the glorious peace of the location, the gardens that surround the house in a fertile embrace and a restaurant where the devotedly local menu changes every day, depending on what’s available and in season – whether it’s from the Hall’s fecund kitchen garden or mini-smokehouse, or the various fish and seafood suppliers and local farmers that Galton deals with. The one thing you can predict is that Galton will cook your breakfast himself the following morning, when he likes to chat to guests and find out how they enjoyed their dinner the night before. Best hotel for walkers: Titchwell Manor Location: Titchwell Looking out over the the salt marshes of the North Norfolk coast, Titchwell Manor is one of the best places to stay – and to eat – in an area that’s not exactly short of options. Divided between a main building, cottage annexe and stable block, it houses 26 individually styled boutique rooms ranging from the cheapest ‘Good’ doubles through ‘Better’ up to ‘Best’ and ‘Signature’ rooms, featuring super-king-size beds, private patio areas, freestanding baths and separate showers. A couple even have their own terraces with private hot tubs. If that’s not quite private enough, you can always opt for a shepherd’s hut in the garden, with its own shower room, living area, hot tub and wood-burner. All the rooms have good wifi, smart TVs, robes, tea- and coffee-making facilities and recently updated bathrooms. You can have an in-room massage, and a third of the rooms are dog-friendly – nice to know, given the excellent walks in all directions. Work up an appetite on the Norfolk Coast Path before dining at the hotel’s renowned 3 AA-rosette restaurant – or just pick up some fish and chips from its well-known sister business, Eric’s. Best hotel for shopping: The Assembly House Location: Norwich Run by revered local chef Richard Hughes and his wife Stacia, the Assembly House occupies a beautifully renovated Georgian building bang in the centre of Norwich – a boutique hotel, restaurant and cookery school that is one of the country’s best places for an indulgent and cultural short break. Occupying two wings flanking the garden and entrance, the guest rooms are light and spacious and decorated in a classic-meets-contemporary style. Each one is different but all come with high-quality beds and linen, good wifi, flatscreen TVs and Bluetooth speakers. There’s a car park next door, and you can start the day with one of Richard’s superb breakfasts, served in the elegant ground-floor restaurant, where you can also enjoy a delicious afternoon tea. You couldn’t be in a better location for exploring central Norwich, which is literally on your doorstep. Best budget hotel: The Cliftonville Location: Cromer Situated right on top of the cliffs in resurgent Cromer, The Cliftonville is a landmark building that, until recently, was in need of a bit of TLC. Luckily for us, it has been renovated by the City Pub Company, which has turned The Cliftonville into an affordable and thoroughly up-to-date place to stay, just minutes from the town’s beach. Most of the rooms have sea views and it’s nice to know you can leave the car at home and come here by train from Norwich, leaving you free to focus on the seaside attractions of Cromer. The beach and the pier are right there, and there’s another beautiful beach at Overstrand, a short walk away, where you can enjoy crab sandwiches in the clifftop café. Alternatively, try the Cromer crab or some of Norfolk’s best fish and chips in No.1 or Mary Janes before following the Norfolk Coast Path to Sheringham, where you can sample some of the county’s best ice cream at Ellie’s. And the hotel? It’s an Edwardian gem – think sweeping staircases and stained-glass windows – that has been sensitively restored: it boasts a cosy bar; a contemporary restaurant that makes the most of the sea views and serves decent modern British food; and 30 guest rooms and suites with en-suite bathrooms, good wifi, flatscreen TVs and tea- and coffee-making facilities. Read more of our UK hotel reviews: Best spa hotels in Norfolk Best London hotels Best Essex hotels Read more about England travel: Where to stay in Nottingham The Lake District’s best boutique hotels Best hotels in the Cotswolds Read More Best family-friendly hotels in the UK for style, location and value for money The best dog-friendly hotels in the UK for 2023 The UK’s best seaside hotels 2023 12 places you won’t believe are in England The best wild swimming stays in the UK Best hotels in Somerset 2023: Where to stay for countryside charm

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