The online electrical retailer AO has announced their agreement to acquire Mobile Phones Direct this morning (Friday 9th November 2018).
This deal will see both MPD brands, Mobile Phones Direct and The Smartphone Company, transfer over to the ownership of AO.
Combined, the websites received around 13.6 million visitors last year alone. The acquisition will improve AO’s mobile offering which currently only offers SIM Free handset purchases. The addition of the Mobile Phones Direct brand will mean that the AO mobile offering becomes more expansive in the future.
AO World Plc CEO Steve Caunce said:
This deal represents a significant step forward in our strategy of developing our growing range of online electricals and adding new complementary categories that customers want and expect from AO.
“Mobile Phones Direct already has a leading position within the UK online mobile phone market and is a business which is highly complementary to AO. In coming together, AO will achieve instant scale and be well-placed for future opportunities within a highly attractive and growing UK mobile phone market.
With 5G services expected to launch over the next two years and as the electrical products we sell become more connected than ever before, moving further into the mobile market is a logical next step for us.”
Mobile Phones Direct CEO Richard Baxendale said:
“This new venture marks an exciting moment for both AO and Mobile Phones Direct, creating something that we believe will be a real game changer for the industry.
“MPD’s experience of the mobile market will give AO a fantastic platform to expand this category and will crucially, enable both of us to offer an even more compelling proposition to our customers.”
