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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
Business
Sarah Butler

AO boss blames Labour as it shifts UK call centre roles abroad

Two men delivering AO appliances
AO said sales rose 11.4% to nearly £1.3bn in the year. Photograph: Tommy (Louth)/Alamy

The online electrical goods seller AO World has revealed it is outsourcing up to 200 UK call centre roles to South Africa blaming rising labour costs, as it handed £20m to shareholders.

As the retailer reported a jump in profits, it said it was shifting the majority of call centre jobs overseas “in response to ongoing inflationary cost pressures, and particularly rising employment costs”. It expects to save about £4m a year as a result of the change.

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