* Full-year sales up 104 percent to 165 million pounds
* Four weeks to April 24 sales up 80 percent
* Expects another year of strong growth
* Shares up 2 percent at 0711 GMT (Adds detail throughout, shares)
By James Davey
LONDON, April 27 (Reuters) - ASOS Plc, the British internet fashion retailer, on Monday forecast full-year profit ahead of market expectations and said recent trading remained buoyant.
"We expect our profit before tax (for the year to March 31 2009) to be slightly ahead of market expectations," said Chief Executive Nick Robertson.
Prior to Monday's update analysts were forecasting a consensus pretax profit of about 13.8 million pounds ($20.12 million) for the year, up from 8.3 million pounds in the previous year.
Shares in ASOS, which have increased in value by a third in the last three months, were up 7.75 pence, or 2.1 percent, at 371 pence, at 0711 GMT, valuing the business at 270 million pounds.
The group, whose ASOS.com website targets internet-savvy 18 to 34 year olds looking to emulate the designer looks of celebrities but at a fraction of the price, said full-year sales increased 104 percent to 165 million pounds.
Sales were up 80 percent for the four weeks to April 24, with international sales up 173 percent. "We are not immune to the prevailing economic conditions, however ... younger fashion is proving more resilient, internet shopping continues to gain in popularity and our international sales are being bolstered by the weak pound," said Robertson.
He said the group was being more conservative in its planning for 2009/10 but believed the outlook was still very positive, and anticipated another year of strong growth.
Many UK retailers have struggled over the last year as consumers have cut back on spending amid sliding house prices, soaring unemployment and fears of a deep recession.
But ASOS has been bucking this trend, benefiting from a young core customer base and the migration of retail spending from the high street to the Internet. (Editing by Rupert Winchester)