Asos is in talks with German tax authorities regarding customs duty claims.
The tax authorities are pursuing the ecommerce giant for unpaid customs duties in a legal dispute over import duty underpayments, the Financial Times reported.
The dispute is related to customs declarations on the retailer’s shipments crossing the German border over several years, according to four people close to the matter.
The fashion brand, which recently saw improved profits, confirmed that it was contesting the assessments by the German customs authority and that it “considered the maximum exposure to be immaterial”.
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Asos said it has reviewed over 95% of the tens of thousands of customs declarations and forecast an additional liability of £435,295 (€500,000).
The German General Customs Directorate said it could not comment on specific companies due to legal reasons.
The fast fashion giant drafted in external external advisers to ascertain its final liability after the German authorities launched the initial claim, according to two sources with knowledge of the matter.
Asos said: “Asos Germany has been engaged in ongoing discussions and legal processes with the German customs authority following assessments relating to import duty corrections for prior financial periods.
“As indicated in our interim results on 24 April 2025, we are contesting the assessments and consider the maximum exposure to be immaterial.
“We have completed an extensive review of >95% of the tens of thousands of customs declarations in question.”
They added: “Based on this analysis, which is compliant with World Trade Organisation customs valuation methods and fully supported by external legal counsel, we are confident that the actual additional liability is c.€0.5m.
“We continue to engage with the authorities and follow the relevant legal processes and are confident of a successful conclusion of the matter.”
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