Netherlands easily accessible from Germany
Ao.com came to the European mainland last year through a German web shop, which is also why it opened a distribution center in Bedberg, near Cologne. From this particular position, it wants to service the Netherlands and Austria, according to CEO John Roberts in The Telegraph. The Netherlands may be closest-by geographically speaking, but no additional translation would be required to enter the Austrian market.
Ao.com, which was called Appliances Online until 2013, has been around since 2001 and mainly sells kitchen and household appliances. In its fiscal year 2015, which ended in March, it managed a 476.7 million pound turnover (some 670 million euro). It did have a 2.2 million pound (3.1 million euro) net loss.
“Our goal is to become a market leader in every activity we undertake and to expand internationally to become the best household appliance retailer in Europe.” Robert expects more than half of all household appliances to be sold online by 2025. “The market leader will control at least a third of those sales.”
