About AO
AO is a company based in Bolton (United Kingdom) founded in 2000 by John Roberts. AO has completed 3 acquisitions, including Jessops, Mobile Phones Direct and Music Magpie PLC.
- Annual Revenue$1.68 B (USD)11.35as on Mar 31, 2026
- Net Profit$47.54 M (USD)241.9as on Mar 31, 2026
- EBITDA$104.61 M (USD)11.42as on Mar 31, 2026
- Investors
- Investments & AcquisitionsJessops
& 2 more
Funding Insights of AO
- Total Rounds 2
- First Round $62M
(Mar 2017)
- Investors Count 1
All 2 funding rounds of AO with amounts and investors; the two latest post-money valuations are shown, the rest are part of the premium plan.
| Date | Amount | Transaction Name | Valuation | Lead Investors | Investors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 2023 | – | Post-IPO | – | – | |
| Mar 2017 | $62M | Post-IPO | – | – | – |
1 investors in total: 1 institutional.
Investors in AO
AO has secured backing from 1 investor, including institutional investors. Prominent investors backing the company include Frasers Group.
| Investor | Description | Founded Year | Domain | Location |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Retailer of sports products | 1982 | frasers.group | Shirebrook, United Kingdom |
Investor details for AO
The complete investor list, round-by-round participation and investor portfolios require an active premium plan.
- Complete investor list
- Round participation
- Investor portfolios
- Co-investor network
Verified entity values are shown only after access is granted.
People of AO
32 people are tracked at AO (9 in leadership, 23 in team).
| Name | Role | Group |
|---|---|---|
John Roberts | Founder & CEO | Leadership |
Tom Jones | Head Of Financial Planning Analysis | Leadership |
Simon Exton | Trading Director | Leadership |
Michael Williams | Director Of Audit & Risk | Leadership |
Adam Locker | Head Of Risk, Health And Safety | Leadership |
Caroline Moran | Commercial Finance Director | Leadership |
Jonathan McCann | Head Of Finance | Leadership |
Charlie Dowdle | Senior Commercial Business Partner | Leadership |
Adrian Gregan | Head Of Consumer Finance - Financial Services | Leadership |
Leah Smelt Mbcs | Business Analyst | Team |
Matt Parrish | Business Analyst | Team |
Kyle Ridgley | Senior Ecommerce Executive | Team |
Adam Bradshaw | Web Analyst | Team |
Kayleigh Perepiczka | Management Accountant | Team |
Tatenda Pasipamire | Commercial Finance Analyst | Team |
Stephanie Nash | Senior Ecommerce & Analytics Manager | Team |
Beth Miller | Paid Media Manager | Team |
Jonathan (Jay | Health And Safety Manager | Team |
Emily Burnside | Tax Manager | Team |
Michelle Siddle | Supplier Documentation & Compliance Manager | Team |
12 more people are available in the full profile.
Complete people profiles for AO
Full employee and board profiles, team structure, tenure and professional contact details require an active premium plan.
- Full employee list
- Team structure
- Board tenure
- Professional contacts
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IPO & Listings of AO
AO is a publicly listed company on the LSE with ticker symbol AO. in UK, operating in the Retail trade sector. As a publicly traded entity, the company provides investors with opportunities to participate in its growth story through equity ownership. The listing enables access to capital markets, enhances corporate visibility, and provides liquidity for shareholders while maintaining transparency through regulatory compliance and regular financial disclosures.
- IPO date26 Feb 2014
- Listed onLSE: AO
- Listed entityAO World Plc
- Exchange sectorRetail trade
- ISINGB00BJTNFH41
- Share price90.20 GBX (+1.01% on the day) · 2026-10-09
- Market capitalisation494,357,369.00 GBX
- Price to earnings14.8
- EPS (diluted, trailing year)0.06 GBX
- Volume (last session)197,918
Financials of AO
| Year | Revenue | Net income | EBITDA |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 1.27B GBP | 35.9M GBP | 79.0M GBP |
| 2024 | 1.14B GBP | 10.5M GBP | 70.9M GBP |
| 2023 | 1.04B GBP | 24.7M GBP | 59.8M GBP |
| 2022 | 1.14B GBP | -2.6M GBP | 45.6M GBP |
| 2021 | 1.37B GBP | -30.4M GBP | 20.5M GBP |
Detailed financial statements for AO
Statement rows, ratios, five-year trends and downloadable financials of the group companies require an active premium plan.
- Statement rows
- Financial ratios
- Five-year trends
- Downloads
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Investments & Acquisitions by AO
AO has strategically engaged in corporate development activities, having acquired 3 companies. Notable acquisitions include Jessops, Mobile Phones Direct and Music Magpie PLC.
| Company Name | Description | Domain | Location | Founded | Acquired | Amount |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Operator of photography and camera stores | jessops.com | Buckingham, United Kingdom | 1935 | Sep 2026 | •••• | |
Electronic gadgets are wholesaled by musicMagpie in the United Kingdom. | musicmagpieplc.com | Stockport, United Kingdom | 2007 | Oct 2024 | $13.15M | |
Smartphones and accessories are retailed online by Mobile Phones Direct. | mobilephonesdirect.co.uk | Bolton, United Kingdom | 1992 | Nov 2018 | $47.93M |
Complete acquisition details for AO
Acquired stakes, deal sources and the complete acquisition history require an active premium plan.
- Acquired stakes
- Deal sources
- Complete history
- Exports
Verified entity values are shown only after access is granted.
Timeline of AO
7 dated milestones of AO across 26 years, from founding to its latest funding, stage changes and deals.
- Founded AO is founded.
- IPO Lists on the stock exchange (IPO).
- Funding First funding round of $62.0M.
- Acquisition Acquires Mobile Phones Direct.
- Funding Latest funding round, Post-IPO,.
- Acquisition Acquires Music Magpie PLC.
- Acquisition Acquires Jessops.
Web traffic of AO
The website of AO (ao.com) receives about 6.3M visits a month and ranks #7,741 among all websites worldwide, #74 in Home and Garden.
- Monthly visits6.3M
▼ 1.5% vs previous month
- Unique visitors2.4M
per month
- Global rank#7,741
among all websites
- Category rank#74
Home and Garden · Home and Garden
- Bounce rate40%
- Pages per visit4.8
- Average visit4 min 44 sec
- DevicesDesktop 26% · Mobile 74%
Websites whose visitors overlap most with AO. Affinity shows how closely the audiences match.
| Website | Domain | Audience affinity | Monthly visits | Global rank | Profile |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| markselectrical.co.uk | 100% | 871.1K | #49,441 | View details | |
bootskitchenappliances.com | bootskitchenappliances.com | 85% | – | #257,495 | – |
| appliancesdirect.co.uk | 81% | – | #27,586 | View details | |
hotpoint.co.uk | hotpoint.co.uk | 81% | – | #68,469 | – |
applianceworldonline.com | applianceworldonline.com | 77% | – | #249,429 | – |
| •••••••••• | ••••••.com | ••% | •.•M | #••••• | – |
| •••••••••• | ••••••.com | ••% | •.•M | #••••• | – |
| •••••••••• | ••••••.com | ••% | •.•M | #••••• | – |
All 40 similar websites and full traffic analytics for AO
The complete similar-websites list, audience overlap and engagement analytics require an active premium plan.
- 40 similar websites
- Audience overlap
- Engagement analytics
- Traffic by brand
Verified entity values are shown only after access is granted.
Latest news on Ao
Complete news archive for AO
Full article history, source details, and older brand coverage require an active premium plan.
- Full article archive
- Source and publication date
- Older coverage
- Brand-specific news history
Verified entity values are shown only after access is granted.
Similar companies to AO
10 companies that operate in the same segment as AO (Home & Living Products), ranked by their profile score on The Company Check.
| Company | Description | Founded | Location | Total funding | Revenue | Employees |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Provider of interior design and renovation services for homes and offices | 2014 | Bengaluru, Karnataka, India | USD 527.28 M | – | – | |
App based platform to connect users with local service professionals | 2008 | San Francisco, California, United States | USD 698.85 M | – | – | |
Provider of FMCG conglomerate products | 1837 | United States | – | USD 457.23 M | 923 | |
Multi-category products are rented via subscription model. | 2014 | Bengaluru, Karnataka, India | USD 58.71 M | USD 14.82 M | 422 | |
Multi-category home improvement products are sold online by Wayfair. | 2002 | Boston, Massachusetts, United States | USD 523.3 M | USD 12.46 B | 13,500 | |
AI-enabled smart mattress covers and thermoregulated bedding are provided. | 2014 | New York, New York, United States | USD 325.12 M | – | 61 | |
Multi-category home improvement products are sold through an internet-first brand. | 2010 | London, England, United Kingdom | USD 135.9 M | – | – | |
Developer and manufacturer of heating, ventilation, air conditioning and refrigeration equipment | 1924 | Osaka, Osaka Prefecture, Japan | – | USD 29.47 B | 96,337 | |
Mattresses and bedding are provided by an internet-first brand. | 2014 | New York, New York, United States | USD 341.3 M | – | – | |
Internet-first brand offering multi-category home furniture | 2012 | Bengaluru, Karnataka, India | USD 108.06 M | USD 26.92 B | 43,024 |
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Frequently Asked Questions about AO
AO was founded in 2000 and raised its 1st funding round 17 years after it was founded.
AO is headquartered in Bolton, United Kingdom. It is registered at Bolton, Greater Manchester, United Kingdom.
John Roberts is the current CEO of AO. They have also founded this company.
Annual revenue of AO is $1.68B as on Mar 31, 2026.
AO was established in 2000 and is headquartered in Bolton, United Kingdom. Operations are conducted as an e-commerce retailer in the consumer electronics and home appliances sector. A diverse catalog is maintained, encompassing items such as washing machines, refrigerators, televisions, audio systems, and health products. Sales and distribution occur primarily through the domain ao.com, serving customers across the UK.
Yes, AO is publicly traded on LSE under the ticker symbol AO..
AO has made 3 acquisitions, including Jessops, Mobile Phones Direct, and Music Magpie PLC.
AO has 1 investor. Key investors include Frasers Group.
The website of AO receives about 6.3 million visits a month and ranks #7,741 among all websites worldwide.