All AO (Appliances Online) articles
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NewsAO ups profit guidance as it expects to deliver double-digit sales growth
Electricals retailer AO has increased its profit guidance and it said it was on track to deliver a strong profit performance and double-digit sales growth.
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AnalysisHow AO is planning to keep momentum with products, services, and overhauling mobile
Following full-year results of strong revenue growth and a record profit before tax performance, AO’s chief executive and founder John Roberts talks to Retail Week about its recent performance and the steps it has been taking to cement itself as a trusted, growing retailer.
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NewsAO profits surge as membership scheme boosts performance
Online electricals specialist AO.com has reported increased annual sales and profits, helped by a raft of initiatives.
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NewsAO profit expected to come in at top end of guidance
Electricals retailer AO expects its profit to come in at the top end of its guidance range as its adjusted profit before tax grows faster than sales.
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FeatureRetail Week Awards 2025 – the winners
Check out the profiles of all the winners from the Retail Week Awards 2025 – and what the judges had to say.
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FeatureShow me the money – what incentives make staff act like they own the company?
What sort of schemes are operating, and which might be most effective? And will such schemes change as basic pay – powered by rising minimum wage costs – rises and the overall cost of employing people goes up?
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NewsHomebase owes unsecured creditors including retailers over £650m
Homebase owes more than £650m to unsecured creditors following its collapse into administration last November.
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FeatureWhat will 2025 bring? Primark, Tesco, Amazon, Sephora and H&M bosses predict the year ahead
Looking ahead: What will shape retail in 2025? We’ve asked the top bosses in British retail to gaze into the horizon and give us their predictions for the industry’s next chapter.
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Retail Navigator AnalysisAO (Financials)
AO’s renewed focus on profitability continued to pay off in the year to end-March 2024 (FY2023). The electricals specialist reported “good progress” in its profit performance despite a decline in sales. Total sales fell 8.7% year on year to £1,039.3m in FY2023, from £1,138.5m the previous year, which management said was “as expected following decisive actions taken to remove non-core channels and loss-making sales”. Sales returned to growth in the fourth quarter of the year. Pre-tax profits grew threefold to £34.3m in FY2023, from £7.6m the year before, reflecting a 3.3% margin, which management said marked “good progress on profit performance” amid the retailer’s “strategic pivot” to concentrate on profit and cash generation.
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NewsAO upgrades guidance again as profits and sales soar
Electricals giant AO has again upgraded its full-year guidance as both profits and sales soared in the first half.
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Retail Navigator AnalysisAO (Strategy)
In a deal expected to complete in the first quarter of 2025, AO’s acquisition of secondhand tech specialist Music Magpie will enhance the electrical retailer’s consumer tech and refurbished tech offerings.
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NewsAO has snapped up Music Magpie in deal to ‘enhance its consumer tech offering’
Electricals giant AO has agreed a deal to acquire secondhand tech expert Music Magpie.
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AnalysisSecondhand tech: Should more retailers cash in on the opportunity?
With AO snapping up Music Magpie and Vinted announcing the launch of a dedicated category for electronics, Retail Week takes a look at what some retailers are doing in the secondhand tech space, and if others are missing a trick.
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InterviewBuy It Direct: The online retailer disrupting the market through growth
Buy It Direct Group has reached the milestone of 25 years in the retail game, acquiring tech, electricals, furniture and bathroom brands along the way.
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AnalysisRetail cabinet: What would government look like if retailers ran the country?
As the country casts its votes in the general election, Retail Week imagines what a cabinet made up of bold and capable retail leaders might look like
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InterviewQ&A: AO’s director of brand on how it gained 600,000 customers in a year
As AO continues to make waves in the electronics sector, Retail Week speaks to director of brand Arafa Heneghan on the importance of consistency across the brand to grow and maintain customers.
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AnalysisHow the spark’s being put back into electricals retail at AO, Currys and Marks
As three big names in the electricals sector post their full-year results, Retail Week takes a look at the themes driving success in a once floundering market.
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NewsAO profits top guidance in year of ‘good progress’
AO has reported a surge in profits and maintained its guidance in a year of “good progress” at the domestic appliances retailer.
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AnalysisRetail’s election wish list: what the bosses of Ikea, AO and more want from a new government
“We need a better approach when it comes to the coordination of policy, regulation, taxation, and alignment across the UK’s nations.”
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NewsAO boss urges government to let retailers fix ‘broken’ apprenticeship scheme
AO founder and chief executive John Roberts is calling on the government to let retailers and other businesses run their own apprenticeship schemes.