AO chief operating officer Danny Emmett has made a shock exit from the business, Retail Week can reveal.
Emmett, who had been seen by many as heir-apparent to boss John Roberts, is understood to have left the online electricals retailer at the end of September.
His departure brings an end to nearly 14 years with the company. Emmett joined AO in 2009 as a senior commercial analyst and went on to perform a number of senior roles including retail operations director and managing director of AO Services.
He was promoted to group chief operating officer in February 2019 during a leadership reshuffle that saw founder John Roberts reassume the role of chief executive.
Retail Week understands Emmett will not be directly replaced. AO has instead stripped out the chief operating officer role as part of its plans to refocus on its UK business and prioritise profits over sales growth.
AO axed its business in the Netherlands in late 2019 and pulled the plug on its German operations earlier this year — international businesses that had been overseen by the chief operating officer.
Roberts said: “After 13 fantastic years at AO, Danny Emmett is leaving the business to pursue other opportunities.
“Danny’s development through the company to the boardroom is an inspiration to other AOers and we are extremely lucky to have had him.
“He will always be part of the AO family and we wish him all the very best for the future.”
The etailer is grappling to restore its fortunes after issuing a string of profit warnings and swinging to a pre-tax loss of £37m in the year to March 31, compared with a pre-tax profit of £20m the previous year.
Its share price has plummeted from 429p in January 2021 to 49.25p at the time of writing.
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