THE KBBREVIEW INTERVIEW | Anthony Sant O
ver the last few years, probably
with clenched
teeth and sweaty brow, many kitchen specialists have turned to online behemoth AO to try and fulfil those elusive appliance orders. When all usual avenues are coming up blank, desperation can lead even proudly bricks and mortar retailers to order online. However, AO has its eye on the independent kitchen retail market for more than just those very distressed purchases. It’s a massive chunk of appliance sales and, as AO pursues continuing growth, it’s no surprise that it wants to be a major supplier and distributor in this sector. They want you to come to them as a first resort, not last.
And you can see why it could be
very appealing, it has a hugely impressive logistical network and given the issues with supply many retailers have faced, minds have never been as open to all and any alternatives. But, says Anthony Sant, the managing director of its B2B arm AO Business, the USP is not the delivery part. The real appeal comes from the fact that they will take the old appliances away. The retailer’s legal responsibility for the removal and safe disposal of electrical waste will soon, Sant says, become an onerous burden and they will be looking for partners that will take care of it for them…
Q & A
Q: We’re all very familiar with AO, but how does AO Business fit in? A: Very simply, we allow businesses to utilise the abilities of AO retail. Sometimes people just think about AO as the green smiley face on the website but it’s way more than that. We have a huge operation that sits behind it to make sure the washing machine or fridge that gets ordered
today is delivered properly tomorrow. So, we have one of the largest two-man delivery fleets in the country and you only have to look at our TrustPilot rating to see that we’ve got hundreds of thousands of people talking about how great our drivers are. But recycling is also a huge part of what we do. We have a huge responsibility to make sure that consumers can dispose of their electrical items safely and securely. So we’ve built the largest MDA fridge recycling facility in the UK - which is called Bertha - and we have a big recycling business that makes sure that we look after all of these things.
Q: Who are the AO Business customers? A: We work with businesses small and
large private so, rental for example,
independent landlords through to big
schemes and
maintenance companies. If they can’t repair, then they don’t want that rental property out of action, so they need a new item fast from someone that reliably delivers on time. We also work with independent kitchen retailers, especially during
the
challenges that many of them have had with supply, as well as much larger shops and retailers. We recently announced an arrangement to work with Homebase because they appreciate selling appliances is not just about having a product available. It’s also about making sure that you deliver it when you say you’re going and then taking any old electrical waste items away and dealing with them properly.
Q: You’re looking at independent kitchen specialists as an area of growth what are your plans? A: I think that sometimes we all forget how large the sale of MDA is within
the kitchen retail space, whether that be independents or
AO’s fridge recycler - nicknamed ‘Bertha’
AO is one of the biggest names in appliances but as it’s mainly for distressed purchases it’s not seen as a big player in the kitchen specialist market - but that could all be about to change. Andrew Davies meets AO Business managing director Anthony Sant…
“The kitchen r a phenomenal
28 · November 2022
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