Entrepreneur presentation

1. Founder and CEO
of AO World

2. AO World
John Roberts, was moaning to a friend that he wanted to quit his job as a
salesman at Moben Kitchens and start his own business. His friend Alan
Latchford, who went on to become a co-founder, bet him £1 he wouldn't get
round to starting the firm.
As Roberts spends £50,000 a year on crisps – all employees receive free
crisps and chocolate, and receive gym membership for £2 a month – and
that its new headquarters will have a nail bar and a massage parlour, AO
World likes to do things differently.

3. History
The company was established as Appliances Online by John Roberts in 2000.
It also sold kitchen appliances on behalf of Boots, Next, House of Fraser,
B&Q and Iceland.
In 2011 the company invested £750,000 into a video studio to produce video
reviews for its Appliances Online and Appliance Reviews websites. The
studio, located in Bolton, had kitchen sets, equipment and production and
editing suites.
In 2013 the company rebranded as ao.com.
In 2013 the company's Facebook page reached the milestone of over 1
million fans and won a PayPal Retail award in recognition of its work on this
platform.
In February 2014 the company floated on the London Stock Exchange as AO
World plc.

4. Stock Market
In February this year Appliances Online floated on the stock market. AO was
valued at £1.6 billion. John Roberts sold off 10% of his shares earning him
£86 million, however he still owns 28.6% of the company, worth about £442
million. The shares of AO soared 33% on UK Stock Market debut after
starting out at 285p and increasing to more than 400p before closing at
378p, the biggest first-day rise of any initial public offering in London since
Royal Mail shares on their debut in October.

5. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/newsbysector/retailandconsumer/10663940/AO-World-is-a-British-success-story.
html
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yQcveRoxFXU
http://www.thisismoney.co.uk/money/markets/article-2568533/Online-appliances-retailer-AO-com-soars-35-UK-stock-
market-debut.html
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2587261/The-kids-getting-Super-rich-Kitchen-King-tells-children-leave-
500-fortune-charity-good.html
http://www.theguardian.com/business/2014/feb/26/aocom-floats-stock-market-john-roberts
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AO_World