Asos pays tribute to co-founder Quentin Griffiths after death in Thailand fall
Asos has paid tribute to co-founder Quentin Griffiths after the entrepreneur fell to his death from a building in Thailand.
The online fashion retailer said Mr Griffiths, 58, “played a pivotal role” in the company’s early days and “will be forever grateful for his contribution”.
The British national reportedly fell from an 18-storey complex in Pattaya, a coastal city south of Bangkok, on February 9.
The company said in a statement: “We were saddened to hear of the passing of Quentin, one of our original co-founders.
“He played an important role” Asos early days and we are forever grateful for his contributions.
“Our thoughts are with his family and friends.”
Mr Griffiths founded Asos in 2000 as a site for fashion enthusiasts looking for clothes at discounted prices.
The exact cause of death will be determined after the autopsy, and the investigation is ongoing.
A Foreign Office spokesman said: “We are supporting the family of a British national who died in Thailand and are in contact with local authorities.”
Mr Griffiths helped found Asos with Nick Robertson and Andrew Regan in 2000. The business was initially an online fashion start-up but has since grown into a £3bn global retailer. High-profile figures such as the Princess of Wales and Michelle Obama have worn her own branded designs.
Mr Griffiths, a former advertising executive, stepped down as marketing director in 2005 but remained a significant shareholder. He made around £15 million from selling shares in 2010 and received another stock windfall in 2013.
In later years Mr Griffiths was involved in legal and financial disputes. He sued his accountants at Binder Dijker Otte (BDO), claiming he was given incorrect advice about minimizing his tax liabilities in connection with the sale of shares in Asos and Achica, the online retailer he co-founded.
A BDO spokesman said at the time that the firm would “defend the claim made against us in relation to tax advice given by BDO in the UK and Guernsey between 2013 and 2015, but could not comment further at this stage due to ongoing legal proceedings.”
Mr Griffiths’ Thai ex-wife accused him of stealing £500,000 from a company they ran together, according to reports.
Last year, he was arrested and interrogated by detectives after he claimed he had prepared false documents to sell land and company shares without his knowledge. He denied the allegations and was released after questioning, but the investigation was ongoing at the time of his death.
Police also said he was involved in two ongoing cases.
Mr Griffiths moved to Thailand around 2007.
His three children survived.
