Get all your news in one place.
100’s of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
Birmingham Post
Birmingham Post
Business
Jon Robinson

Online electricals giant AO hikes earnings outlook for the third time in three months after cost-cutting success

AO has upped it annual earnings outlook for the third time in just over three months after it said its cost-cutting efforts were paying off.

The Bolton-headquartered online electricals giant said its profitability has seen a better-than-expected improvement as it drives cost savings thanks to a "resilient" customer base.

AO said price increases across mobiles have also been slightly higher than forecast.

READ MORE: Click here to sign up to the BusinessLive North West newsletter

It expects underlying earnings to be in the range of £37.5m to £45m for the full year, up from the £30m to £40m guided for last month.

The group had already increased earnings guidance in November and again in January as its turnaround plan to strip out costs has been bearing fruit.

In a statement to the London Stock Exchange, AO said: "The steps we have taken to simplify the business and become more efficient have outperformed expectations and been delivered quicker than expected."

"Margin improvement initiatives coupled with a continued resilient underlying customer base has driven higher retail gross margins than previously expected and we anticipate that this will continue for the remaining five weeks of the financial year," it added.

It comes after AO World slumped to a £12m loss in its first half, with shares hammered last year following a series of profit warnings as the cost crisis hit consumer spending on white goods, and due to labour shortages and supply chain disruption.

The company started its turnaround plan with a £40m fundraising round last summer in a bid to strengthen its balance sheet amid fears of a cash crunch.

AO has closed its loss-making German operation as part of the shake-up and has launched action to save at least £30m a year by 2023-24 – including by recently axing senior and middle management jobs.

The firm has also ditched unprofitable products while introducing delivery charges and cutting cashback incentives to reduce the cost of sales.

READ MORE:

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.