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AO.com (formerly Appliances Online) is an online retailer specialising in electrical goods. It is listed on the London Stock Exchange and is a constituent of the FTSE 250 Index.

History
The company was established as Appliances Online by John Roberts in 2000, after a close friend bet Roberts £1 that he could not set up an online retailer. Roberts would later receive the £1.

In 2004, Sainsbury’s became the Group’s first client, with Appliances Online building and maintaining online platforms for the sale of white goods under the supermarket chain’s branding; the company went on to provide similar services to Boots, Next, House of Fraser, B&Q, Iceland and other high street chains.

In 2009 the company acquired the distribution business Expert Logistics, which enabled it to begin self-delivery of goods. Expert continues to provide third party logistics services in addition to distributing AO products. In 2010 Appliances Online launched a review website, Appliances Reviews.

In 2011, the company invested £750,000 into a video studio to produce video reviews for its Appliances Online and Appliance Reviews websites. The studio, located in Bolton, had kitchen sets, equipment and production and editing suites. In 2011, the company also signed for an initial 15,000 sq ft at Bruntwood's Riverside building in Manchester, employing 100 people.

In 2013 the company re-branded as ao.com In October 2013 the company began selling small appliances and launched a same day delivery service. Roberts claims this was the first seven-day and next-day delivery service in the UK. In 2013 the company's Facebook page surpassed 1 million fans and won a PayPal Retail award.

In February 2014 the company floated on the London Stock Exchange as AO World. In the process, Roberts made £86m by selling 10% of the company to the public. In October 2014 the company launched operations in Germany followed by a launch in the Netherlands in March 2016.

In February 2017 Roberts was succeeded as Chief Executive Officer by Steve Caunce, the former Chief Operating Officer. Caunce became responsible for strategy and performance delivery, with Roberts remaining on the board with the title of Founder and Executive Director, responsible for innovation and team inspiration.

Awards and recognition

 * Retail Week Employer of the Year Award 2015
 * Employer of the Year, Oracle Retail Week Awards 2015
 * Which? Magazine's Best UK Online Shop - joint 1st 2015
 * Best Customer Service Operation, 2011 European Call Centre & Customer Service Awards.

The company was named as 63rd in the Sunday Times '100 Best Companies to Work For' list in 2011. In 2012 the company was named 5th in the Sunday Times' list, and in 2013 climbed to 4th, retaining this position in 2014.

Operations
The company now has over 2000 employees. It is headquartered across more than 50,000sq ft of offices in Bolton. It accounts for 25 per cent of the UK online major domestic appliances market and is reportedly one of the fastest-growing companies in the UK.

Advertising
The company launched a new advertising campaign on 3 May 2013 to mark the rebrand of the business from Appliances Online to ao.com. The first advert follows a fictional new employee called ‘Dave’ and his over-enthusiastic inductor on his first day at work. A further advert was aired showing ‘Barry Catchpole’. Its adverts feature a version of the Ramones song "Blitzkrieg Bop" in which the words "Hey! Ho! Let's go!" are reinterpreted as "A.O. Let's go!".

In July 2015, AO became the official sponsors of Lancashire County Cricket Club’s Royal London One-Day Cup kit, utilizing AO’s bright green as the dominant colour; in 2017 the partnership was extended until 2021.

In March 2017, AO became the sponsor for Britain’s Got Talent 11th series. The accompanying television campaign featured Britain’s Got Talent acts and staff members from the company’s offices in Bolton and Crewe.