News
AO reports continued revenue growth in latest financial results
AO World, the European online electrical retailer, announced its unaudited interim fi nancial results for the six months ending 30 September 2018.
The company experienced continued 4
revenue growth, with total revenue for the period increasing by 9.9 per cent to £404.2m (2017: £368.0m) against a continuingly tough macro trading environment in the UK and Europe and a declining UK MDA market. Further fi nancial highlights include: AO website sales for the UK were up 4.2 per cent to £294.3m (2017: £282.5m) with growth coming from newer categories. Total UK revenue was up 5.7 per cent to £334.8m (2017: £316.8m).
UK adjusted EBITDA of £6.9m (2017: £7.4m) was impacted by lower than anticipated MDA sales and the expected dilutive gross margin percentage impact of growth in its newer categories. The company further reported that its market share was maintained in its core UK MDA category with share taken in its newer categories in the UK and in all categories and territories in Europe.
AO World to acquire Mobile Phones Direct AO World also announced
Customer numbers now exceed fi ve million in the UK and approaching six million across all territories.
Steve Caunce, AO Chief Executive
Offi cer, said: “While our core UK and Germany MDA markets have been challenging, with the UK MDA market becoming tougher than expected, we take encouragement that we are at least maintaining market share in this core category in the UK and growing signifi cantly in Germany. “Elsewhere, our continued focus on
growing our range of online electricals and adding new complementary ranges proved successful in the fi rst six months of the year, with newer categories such as Audio Visual and Computing performing particularly well.
in
November that it has conditionally agreed to acquire Mobile Phones Direct Limited for a cash-free, debt- free enterprise value of £32.5m. MPD, an online-only retailer of mobile phones in the UK, operates through two online brands, Mobile Phones Direct and Smart Phone Company.
The acquisition will signifi cantly
increase the scale of AO’s mobile proposition, which is currently limited to the sale of handsets only (without airtime or associated services). The combination of breadth of
product and services
across the two businesses presents a signifi cantly improved offering for the combined customer base. The Acquisition is expected to complete prior to 31 March 2019.
Toshiba introduces Deezer to
Smart TV line-up
Pan-European brand, Toshiba TVs, has announced that consumers will now be able to access global music streaming service, Deezer, on their Toshiba Smart TVs.
The availability of Deezer means that every Toshiba Smart TV can now offer the ultimate lean-back audio experience, including direct access to Flow, a personal soundtrack that combines smart data and editorial recommendations to play a continuous stream of music specifi cally tailored to your preferences. Deezer’s Premium+ subscribers will have access to over 53 million tracks instantly. With 71 per cent of internet users consuming licensed music, there is now an appetite to integrate music streaming into our everyday interactions, with Toshiba and Deezer bringing it closer to the forefront through Smart TVs. Displaying the album covers of each selected track with many of the latest 4K, HDR and OLED technologies, Toshiba
Smart TVs also bring an Alltrade goes live with new multi-platform website
Bolstering its online presence alongside the recent substantial investment in Trade Counters across the UK, Alltrade has unveiled its latest generation website. Leveraging cloud-based IT systems, fibre connectivity and the fastest web servers available, the new site focuses on a slick multi-platform interface and intuitive navigation. With Alltrade (www.
altrade.co.uk) now offering over 5,000 lines for CI, AV, Home Automation and TV signal distribution professionals, finding, selecting and ordering products has never been easier.
Commented Alltrade MD, Steve Simper: “Our original website was ground-breaking when it launched way back in 1995. It allowed our trade customers to check stock, get live pricing and place orders online, which was revolutionary for trade distribution at the
time. Our new fourth-generation website continues to lead the way, capitalising on our cutting-edge IT infrastructure and designed by the award-winning Madison Web Solutions.”
The new site is mobile and tablet friendly with complete order history,
product favourite lists and the ability to save complete orders as templates. Users can also leave product reviews, save/change and delete various delivery addresses or use the website’s new ‘click and collect’ feature from any Alltrade Trade Counter.
additional visual dimension to the music experience, portraying album cover graphics with brilliant colour vibrancy and sharp detail. Phil Moore, VP of Northern and
Southern EMEA at Deezer, commented: “Music should be easy and accessible on various devices and especially at home. The availability of Deezer on Toshiba Smart TVs will ensure that music lovers can seamlessly switch from watching TV to listening to their favourite and undiscovered tracks, including Flow.” Toshiba TVs Sales and Marketing
Director for Europe, Bart Kuijten, added: “Deezer is an important app addition, showcasing the versatility of our Smart TVs as audio streaming devices. Integrated with features, such as DTS HD and DTS TruSurround as well as speakers and subwoofers, which have been designed in collaboration with hi-fi brand, Onkyo, our TVs ensure a higher standard of sound quality, making them great for use as audio entertainment hubs.”
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