About Us

Small beginnings

Back in 2000, when it all started, buying appliances was really hard work. John, our founder, had enough experience to know just how complicated it was, and he made it his mission to sort it.

At the time, no one was really thinking about making it any easier, which is where John saw his opportunity. He decided to think like a customer, and put those needs before anything else. A friend of his actually bet him £1 that he couldn’t sell appliances online, and we’re all really glad he did.

At AO, it’s all about good old-fashioned values and clever thinking. We try to find better, easier ways of doing things that seem difficult, so that you, our customers, actually enjoy your experience and feel like you come first.

Big ambitions

We bought our own logistics company, so that we could deliver on our promises. We invested in enough warehouse space to be able to hold our own stock, so we wouldn’t have to keep you waiting. And, depots up and down the country meant that we could reach as many people as possible.

As we grew, so did our brand. In 2013 we went from Appliances Online to AO.com and our famous smiley logo. We floated on the stock market in 2014, and launched in Germany that same year. In 2015 we launched in the Netherlands, and it doesn’t stop there. We also started to sell more of the things you want, like TVs, computers, games and smart gadgets, the lot.

Making a difference

Our culture is the same today as it was 18 years ago, it’s the reason we can proudly say that we’ve served millions of happy customers. Our teams care so much about what they do, they’ve even picked up a few awards along the way.

We also have our own recycling plant now, where we can recycle over 700,000 appliances every year. And, there’s the AO Smile Foundation. A registered charity that means we can all do our bit for our local communities, whether it’s through Payroll Giving or raising money by cycling all the way from our office in Germany to our birthplace in Bolton.

Making things better

And so you know, products aside, here’s just some of what we do for you:

• Price match promise – if you can find one of our products at a better price elsewhere, give us a call and we’ll match it. We don’t want to lose you.
• Free delivery – available on everything we sell if that’s what you fancy
• Free returns – if you need to send it back to us, we’ll sort that for you
• Click and collect – get it delivered where you want
• Flexible finance – pay in the way that suits
• Recycling – we’ll take care of the planet and your old appliances by recycling responsibly, for free
• Smile – there’s always someone ready to say hello and give you a hand