Asos says it will speed up investment plans as sales rise

LONDON (Reuters) - British online fashion retailer Asos said on Thursday it would accelerate the pace of its infrastructure investment as it expects sales to rise by nearly a third this year following bumper demand over the Christmas period. International sales increased by 52 percent to 362 million pounds in the four months to the end of December, with sales in its home market up by 18 percent to 244 million pounds, the firm said. "With sales for the year now expected to be up by c.25 percent to 30 percent, we're accelerating our infrastructure investment to handle that growth," Chief Executive Nick Beighton said. ASOS said in December it planned to add 1,500 new jobs at its London headquarters. (Reporting by Costas Pitas; editing by Sarah Young)