Dive Brief:

• Asos Plc chief Nick Robertson has announced that he’ll step down as CEO after 15 years at the helm of the retailer he founded.

• The move, which has COO Nick Beighton stepping in, is not much of a surprise; observers noted it was “well planned” and shares rose as investors seemed to like the idea.

• Robertson will remain as a non-executive director.

Dive Insight:

This move isn’t going to surprise many people, but it nevertheless ushers in a new era for Asos, the U.K.’s leading pure-play e-commerce fashion retailer. The company sees some $15 billion in sales each year, including sales to the U.S., and has built its success on an old-fashioned standby of affordable fashion — mimicking high fashion trends. In the case of Asos, trends favored by celebrities.

Now, not surprisingly, the company must fight increased competition from imitators, as well as simply building on its own success. That makes the choice of COO Beighton all the more obvious, considering the company is now at a point where growth and strategy are perhaps more important than vision and drive.