AO said it expects sales and profits for the financial year to be in line with analyst expectations and said the coronavirus has created a ‘new normal’ in terms of online electricals’ share of the market.

In a long-awaited trading update, the pureplay electricals retailer said despite a decline in overall electrical sales in the wider market AO.com had “grown market share and seen increased demand and sales across all categories” since lockdown measures came into force.

Lockdown restrictions in its two main markets of the UK and Germany meant “shopping online has become an unavoidable way of life” and customers were “relying on electrical and electronic products like never before”.

AO said it had adapted the services it offers, invested in depots and warehouses to ensure staff can practise social distancing and equipped “everyone who can work from home with what they need to do so”.

As with many other online retailers, AO also said it would “continue to prioritise services for the most vulnerable members of society and donate essential products to those in need”.

AO founder and chief executive John Roberts said: “I want to thank the amazing team of AOers for their dedication, sacrifice and professionalism through the very recent period in particular, but also throughout the last 12 months. They have delivered in spades against the key priorities we set and we entered our new financial year in good shape.

“Our team in Germany has embraced our One AO approach and is benefiting on all key metrics as a result. We are more certain than ever of the potential of that business and the platform it provides for growth.

“For the last 20 years I believe we have been a driving force of change, making things better, easier and cheaper than ever before for customers with outstanding levels of service. Never before has that service been more necessary or relevant and so I am very proud of the record customer satisfaction scores we are achieving through this period.

“In terms of online shopping behaviour, I believe we have seen five years accelerate into only five weeks and we will plan to cement that change as we impress more new customers than ever with the AO Way.”

The etailer confirmed that it would be releasing its preliminary results on July 14, 2020 and would likely hold its AGM on August 20, 2020.

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