All AO (Appliances Online) articles
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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.
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AnalysisWhat does Currys’ and AO’s raised profit guidance tell us about the struggling electricals sector?
Both AO and Currys have posted impromptu profit upgrades ahead of their full-year updates this spring. Given that the electricals market has been floundering, what do the recent profit announcements tell us about the future of the sector?
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NewsAO boss calls on UK government to fix ‘broken’ youth services
AO founder and chief executive John Roberts has called on the government to fix the UK’s “broken” youth services by spending £1bn a year on youth provision over the next decade.
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NewsAO hails ‘good momentum’ as it expects to hit profit guidance
Electricals retailer AO said today it expects to hit its previously pledged profit guidance and surpass £1bn in sales for the full year.
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NewsAO director says negative reviews drive better ‘everyday business decisions’
AO’s director of consumer and brand Vicky Monk said negative reviews drive the company to “be better” and make “everyday business decisions” as it reached 500,000 reviews on Trustpilot.
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NewsAO saves 70 jobs through buying mobile phone retailer
Online electricals retailer AO has acquired some assets of the mobile phone retailer A1 Comms, saving 73 jobs in the process.
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NewsAO upgrades profit guidance as it continues to deliver ‘profit and cash generation’
Electricals specialist AO has upgraded its full-year profit guidance after focusing on delivering “profit and cash generation”.
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AnalysisWhat Currys and AO results tell us about electricals sector
Two of the UK’s biggest electricals retailers announced their full-year results this week, which revealed a mixed picture for both groups.
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NewsAO boss has ‘no plans’ to return to physical retail
AO founder and chief executive John Roberts has said the group has “no plans” to return to bricks-and-mortar retail after closing its shop-in-shops with Tesco last year.