Electricals pureplay retailer AO has opened a new distribution warehouse as it expands capacity to deliver both direct sales and on behalf of third-party businesses including Aldi and Simba. The company says it is now looking for further sites as the shift online gains speed during the coronavirus pandemic.
The new warehouse is AO’s third in Crewe. It adds another 110,000 sq ft of distribution space to take the total in the town to just under 1m sq ft. From the three warehouses, AO Logistics, part of the AO World group since it was acquired in 2009, now delivers on behalf of AO and of clients including The Cotswold Company, Aldi, Simba and Keter.
David Ashwell, MD of AO Logistics, said: “This is a great measure of the confidence that our third party clients have in AO. During the Covid-19 pandemic our amazing team has been delivering safely and efficiently, providing a lifeline for AO.com’s customers which in turn, third-party clients have benefitted from. As five years of channel shift from stores to online condensed into five weeks, I’m really proud of how the team has adapted to necessary changes without missing a single day of delivery with record net promoter scores over the last three months.
“We’re proud to share our AO service capability with other retailers and third party clients particularly during this difficult time when, thanks to AO, their customers have been able to rely on them. We’re keen to continue to build long-term relationships with retailers and clients who understand the value of an expert, national two-person delivery network.”
The new warehouse has been named in memory of Alan Latchford, a co-founder of DRL, which later became AO.
John Roberts,founder and chief executive of AO, said: “Latchford is named after Alan Latchford, who passed away in March. He was on the other side of the famous £1 that led to the creation of AO. On Christmas Eve 1999, he bet me £1 that we couldn’t use the internet to transform how people buy white goods. Twenty years on, the opening of our Latchford warehouse is a lasting tribute to Alan.”
AO is a Top50 retailer in RXUK Top500 research.
Image courtesy of AO World
