John Lewis prepares launch of online fashion arm

New internet store intended to rival web retailer Asos

John Lewis is set to compete in the online fashion market

Department store group John Lewis is set to launch an online fashion site to rival successful web-only retailer Asos.

The fashion web store is set to start trading in the autumn and will feature brands that are already on offer in the high street, such as Jigsaw, Ted Baker and Whistles, alongside its own John Lewis lines.

According to news reports, the company's managing director Andy Street said it was undecided whether the new online offering would offer brands that are currently unavailable in its stores.

The web site's name has not yet been disclosed.

John Lewis’s fashion sales and beauty products were up 4.7 per cent to £928m in 2008. Sales at its online operation John Lewis Direct increased by 24.2 per cent to £332.9m.