About us
It’s been quite the journey so far
We’ve grown from a £1 bet to big business. Yep. You read that right. Over a drink in a Bolton pub, John Roberts bet his friend that there was a better way for people to buy electricals online. Since then, we’ve hit some pretty big milestones…
2000
A £1 bet started John Roberts on his mission to sell appliances online
2004
Retailers asked us to sell white goods under their brand names to their customers; Sainsbury’s became our first client
2009
We bought a logistics business to give customers incredible delivery options and service
2012
Appliances Online became ao.com
2014
AO floated on the London Stock Exchange and became proud sponsors of Bolton Lads and Girls Club (BLGC)
2016
We launched AO Finance to give customers better access to essential electricals through flexible finance
2018
We opened our own state-of-the-art recycling centre and completed the acquisition of Mobile Phones Direct
2021
AO Arena opened its doors!
2022
We became proud sponsors of four times Netball Super League champions Manchester Thunder!
2024
We became proud sponsors of Altrincham Football Club
The UK’s most trusted electrical retailer
At AO, we want to make sure our customers are happy. When they have a smile on their face, we know we’ve done a good job and that’s at the heart of everything we do. And well, we’ve put lots of smiles on our customers’ faces!
Did you know we have more 5* Trustpilot reviews than any other UK electrical retailer? We’re rated ‘Excellent’ overall and have over 600k customer reviews!
And it’s no different for AOers, because together we can do extraordinary things. We know that our AOers love our culture, people and values and we have over 1500 Glassdoor and Indeed employee reviews too!
Love AO
AO is filled with the kind of people you want in life, not just in work. We’re fun, encouraging, inspirational and do the right thing. We love our office vibe and collaborating across the business in-person.
AOers are comfortable being 100% themselves and are united in the journey to achieving our AO mission.
Always learning
With AO, the sky’s the limit. We’ll support you to be the best version of yourself and always drive your career forward.
We know not everyone learns in the same way, so we’ll give you different ways of taking in the information you want. Whether you want to improve your day-to-day skills or look to other areas, our Learning Hub is the perfect platform to satisfy your curiosity.
Across AO we have over 160 AOers completing a professional course through our Apprenticeship Levy. We offer around 20 courses on a regular basis, but with over 750 Apprenticeship qualifications available – you’re almost guaranteed to find a course that’s right for you.
As long as you’re eager and have plenty of drive, you’ll find a whole world of development at your fingertips with AO.
Doing Good
At AO, it’s not just about what we do, it’s about how we do it. We spread joy to customers, support causes our AOers are passionate about, and we’re green in more ways than one.
Make A Difference Days
Nothing’s better than rolling up your sleeves and getting stuck in for charity. That’s why we offer MAD (Make A Difference) days. Every year, AOers can go ‘MAD’ and swap two days at their desk for two days out in the wild doing good.
People can volunteer wherever they like doing whatever they like – as long as it benefits those who need it most, and, over the past 12 months, a whopping 40 charities have had a helping hand from us.
Fundraising Boosts
AOers also have the option to apply for a boost from AO Smile Foundation*, where we’ll contribute to their final total – helping to get them closer to or smash their target.
Over the years, AOers have raised money by pushing themselves to their limits, facing their fears and trying something new – all to put a smile on someone else’s face. And over the past 12 months, we’ve happily provided boosts for 25 UK charities. We can’t wait to see what our people get up to next.