Online appliance giant AO has opened its first in-store experience centre in Greater Manchester as part of its strategy to reach a wider audience.
Located in the Tesco Extra store in Middleton, this is the first of five AO stores-within-a-store planned as part of a six-month trial partnership with Tesco. The other four stores are set to open later this year.
Commenting on the opening of its first in-store experience, AO’s chief operating officer, Danny Emmett said: “As a business with its roots firmly in the North West, we are delighted that our first store is opening in Middleton. Tesco serves millions of people each week and we have always said that AO delivers the best way to buy electricals, so we’re excited about bringing the AO experience to even more customers through this in-store trial later this month.”
The opening of the 2,088sq ft concession has generated six new jobs in the local area.
The showroom features facilities such as a kitchen area with breakfast bar where customers can ask for help and advice from AO’s in-store experts. Customers will be able to browse and purchase a wide range of products, including washing machines, fridge, ovens, hobs, extraction and dishwashers that can be ordered for home delivery.
Though AO has confirmed the appliance displays are not in demo mode, the concept store features interactive screens that consumers can use to find out more about the products available.
Sharon Curran, store manager at the AO Middleton store, commented: “We’re thrilled to welcome the AO team and to show our customers the new AO store. We look forward to offering customers access to our full range of electricals products, so we can bring exceptional online content, product expertise and customer service in a store environment.”
Tony Hoggett, Tesco’s Chief Operating Officer, added: “We’re excited about this new partnership with AO which will give customers access to a broader range of products and AO’s technical expertise on electrical goods. Our Middleton Extra store is the first of five stores to benefit from an AO concession and we’re looking forward to seeing how customers respond to this trial.”