Pattaya, Thailand. Quentin Griffiths, who co-founded British fast-fashion retailer ASOS, has died after a fall from a balcony in Thailand, Thai police said on Friday. Police said Griffiths, 58, fell from the 17th floor of an apartment block on February 9.
Police findings and investigation
Police told Reuters they found the body of a British national, identified as Quentin John Griffiths, on the ground directly below the balcony. They said initial investigations suggested suicide and there were no indications of foul play.
Police said CCTV showed no sign of anybody entering his apartment, where he had lived alone. They added that his body has been sent for an autopsy.
Information cited by police
Police quoted a Thai friend of Griffiths as saying he had been worried about lawsuits from his former wife, a Thai national. Police said documents related to those lawsuits were found in his apartment.
British foreign office response
Asked about Griffiths, Britain’s foreign office said it was supporting “the family of a British national who has died in Thailand” and was in touch with local authorities.
Media attention in Pattaya
Police said the case did not initially attract media attention in Pattaya, which has a large contingent of foreign residents, until The Sun newspaper in Britain reported it on Thursday.
Role at ASOS
Griffiths co-founded ASOS, then known as ‘As Seen on Screen,’ with Nick Robertson in 2000, and floated it on London’s Alternative Investment Market in 2001. The company later withstood failures among other web-based companies after the Internet bubble burst and emerged as a standout success in British retail.
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