--- title: "AO World PLC: UK sponsor licence status" canonical: https://uk-sponsors.getborderless.co.uk/sponsors/ao-world-plc-bolton-793816 register_status: active register_as_of: 2026-10-30 publisher: Borderless (https://www.getborderless.co.uk) source: UK Home Office register of licensed sponsors (Open Government Licence v3); Companies House --- # AO World PLC: UK sponsor licence status > As of 30 October 2026, AO World PLC (Companies House 05525751, Bolton) holds an A-rated Worker sponsor licence covering the Skilled Worker route and has appeared on the UK Home Office register of licensed sponsors since 10 December 2015 (source: Borderless, from the GOV.UK register of licensed sponsors and Companies House). ## Key facts - Register status: Active: on the current register and licensed to sponsor workers - Licence type and rating: Worker (A rating) - Visa routes: Skilled Worker - First seen on the register: 10 December 2015 - Also known as: AO Retail; After Care; All Products Direct; Appliance Deals; Appliances Online; B&Q Kitchen Appliances; Boots Kitchen Appliances; DRL Replacement Solutions; DVS Insurance; Elekdirect - Industry: Retail & E-commerce - Town: Bolton - Registered address: Unit 5a The Parklands, Lostock, Bolton, BL6 4SD - Companies House number: 05525751 (https://find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk/company/05525751) - Website: https://ao.com - LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/aoletsgo/ - Register data as of: 30 October 2026 (GOV.UK register of licensed sponsors, re-read daily) - Web page: https://uk-sponsors.getborderless.co.uk/sponsors/ao-world-plc-bolton-793816 ## Where this sponsor sits - One of 590 licensed sponsors in Bolton: https://uk-sponsors.getborderless.co.uk/sponsors/in/bolton - One of 17,329 in Retail & E-commerce: https://uk-sponsors.getborderless.co.uk/sponsors/industry/retail-ecommerce - Among 122,278 Skilled Worker sponsors: https://uk-sponsors.getborderless.co.uk/sponsors/route/skilled-worker ## Companies House changes since it joined the register 46 changes worth checking, checked 27 October 2026, newest first: - 12 Oct 2026: Company bought back its own shares. Share capital filing recorded on 12 Oct 2026. No new majority owner was notified, so this is usually routine. If it did pass a controlling interest to someone new, the licence does not transfer automatically, and a new licence application may be needed within 20 working days. The 20-working-day window runs to about 9 Nov 2026. - 24 Sep 2026: Director resigned: HOPKINSON, Christopher John. Director change recorded on 24 Sep 2026. If this person was your Authorising Officer, Key Contact or Level 1 user, the change must be reported in the SMS (the Home Office sponsor system) within 20 working days. - 24 Sep 2026: Shares cancelled (capital reduction). Share capital filing recorded on 24 Sep 2026. No new majority owner was notified, so this is usually routine. If it did pass a controlling interest to someone new, the licence does not transfer automatically, and a new licence application may be needed within 20 working days. - 8 Sep 2026: Company bought back its own shares. Share capital filing recorded on 8 Sep 2026. No new majority owner was notified, so this is usually routine. If it did pass a controlling interest to someone new, the licence does not transfer automatically, and a new licence application may be needed within 20 working days. - 17 Aug 2026: Shares cancelled (capital reduction). Share capital filing recorded on 17 Aug 2026. No new majority owner was notified, so this is usually routine. If it did pass a controlling interest to someone new, the licence does not transfer automatically, and a new licence application may be needed within 20 working days. - 18 May 2026: Company bought back its own shares. Share capital filing recorded on 18 May 2026. No new majority owner was notified, so this is usually routine. If it did pass a controlling interest to someone new, the licence does not transfer automatically, and a new licence application may be needed within 20 working days. - 17 Apr 2026: Shares cancelled (capital reduction). Share capital filing recorded on 17 Apr 2026. No new majority owner was notified, so this is usually routine. If it did pass a controlling interest to someone new, the licence does not transfer automatically, and a new licence application may be needed within 20 working days. - 23 Mar 2026: Shares cancelled (capital reduction). Share capital filing recorded on 23 Mar 2026. No new majority owner was notified, so this is usually routine. If it did pass a controlling interest to someone new, the licence does not transfer automatically, and a new licence application may be needed within 20 working days. - 28 Feb 2026: Shares cancelled (capital reduction). Share capital filing recorded on 28 Feb 2026. No new majority owner was notified, so this is usually routine. If it did pass a controlling interest to someone new, the licence does not transfer automatically, and a new licence application may be needed within 20 working days. - 26 Jan 2026: Shares cancelled (capital reduction). Share capital filing recorded on 26 Jan 2026. No new majority owner was notified, so this is usually routine. If it did pass a controlling interest to someone new, the licence does not transfer automatically, and a new licence application may be needed within 20 working days. - 31 Dec 2025: Shares cancelled (capital reduction). Share capital filing recorded on 31 Dec 2025. No new majority owner was notified, so this is usually routine. If it did pass a controlling interest to someone new, the licence does not transfer automatically, and a new licence application may be needed within 20 working days. - 8 Dec 2025: Company bought back its own shares. Share capital filing recorded on 8 Dec 2025. No new majority owner was notified, so this is usually routine. If it did pass a controlling interest to someone new, the licence does not transfer automatically, and a new licence application may be needed within 20 working days. - 26 Nov 2025: Shares cancelled (capital reduction). Share capital filing recorded on 26 Nov 2025. No new majority owner was notified, so this is usually routine. If it did pass a controlling interest to someone new, the licence does not transfer automatically, and a new licence application may be needed within 20 working days. - 19 Nov 2025: Company bought back its own shares. Share capital filing recorded on 19 Nov 2025. No new majority owner was notified, so this is usually routine. If it did pass a controlling interest to someone new, the licence does not transfer automatically, and a new licence application may be needed within 20 working days. - 18 Nov 2025: Shares cancelled (capital reduction). Share capital filing recorded on 18 Nov 2025. No new majority owner was notified, so this is usually routine. If it did pass a controlling interest to someone new, the licence does not transfer automatically, and a new licence application may be needed within 20 working days. - 12 Nov 2025: Company bought back its own shares. Share capital filing recorded on 12 Nov 2025. No new majority owner was notified, so this is usually routine. If it did pass a controlling interest to someone new, the licence does not transfer automatically, and a new licence application may be needed within 20 working days. - 7 Nov 2025: Shares cancelled (capital reduction). Share capital filing recorded on 7 Nov 2025. No new majority owner was notified, so this is usually routine. If it did pass a controlling interest to someone new, the licence does not transfer automatically, and a new licence application may be needed within 20 working days. - 23 Oct 2025: Shares cancelled (capital reduction). Share capital filing recorded on 23 Oct 2025. No new majority owner was notified, so this is usually routine. If it did pass a controlling interest to someone new, the licence does not transfer automatically, and a new licence application may be needed within 20 working days. - 13 Oct 2025: Shares cancelled (capital reduction). Share capital filing recorded on 13 Oct 2025. No new majority owner was notified, so this is usually routine. If it did pass a controlling interest to someone new, the licence does not transfer automatically, and a new licence application may be needed within 20 working days. - 1 Sep 2025: New director appointed: TOMKINS, Sophie Alice. Director change recorded on 1 Sep 2025. If this person is now your Authorising Officer, Key Contact or Level 1 user, the change must be reported in the SMS (the Home Office sponsor system) within 20 working days. - 23 Jul 2024: New shares issued (allotment). Share capital filing recorded on 23 Jul 2024. No new majority owner was notified, so this is usually routine. If it did pass a controlling interest to someone new, the licence does not transfer automatically, and a new licence application may be needed within 20 working days. - 27 Sep 2023: Director resigned: CASSONI, Maria Luisa. Director change recorded on 27 Sep 2023. If this person was your Authorising Officer, Key Contact or Level 1 user, the change must be reported in the SMS (the Home Office sponsor system) within 20 working days. - 27 Jul 2023: New shares issued (allotment). Share capital filing recorded on 27 Jul 2023. No new majority owner was notified, so this is usually routine. If it did pass a controlling interest to someone new, the licence does not transfer automatically, and a new licence application may be needed within 20 working days. - 1 Nov 2022: New director appointed: VENNING, Sarah Louise. Director change recorded on 1 Nov 2022. If this person is now your Authorising Officer, Key Contact or Level 1 user, the change must be reported in the SMS (the Home Office sponsor system) within 20 working days. - 1 Oct 2022: New director appointed: PRITCHARD, Peter Paul. Director change recorded on 1 Oct 2022. If this person is now your Authorising Officer, Key Contact or Level 1 user, the change must be reported in the SMS (the Home Office sponsor system) within 20 working days. - + 21 earlier changes on the web page Companies House cannot show who holds the licence roles or whether a change was reported to the Home Office, so these are prompts to check against your own records, not findings. ## Sponsored jobs No listings matched yet. Job listings are harvested daily from Reed, Adzuna, Jooble and Careerjet and matched back to the register by employer name. ## Common questions about AO World PLC ### Is AO World PLC a licensed UK visa sponsor? Yes. AO World PLC in Bolton is on the Home Office register of licensed sponsors under this name since 2015. It can sponsor workers from overseas, but not every job it advertises comes with sponsorship. ### What visa routes can AO World PLC sponsor? AO World PLC is licensed for Skilled Worker. Its licence rating on the register is "Worker (A rating)". ### Where is AO World PLC based? The register lists AO World PLC at Unit 5a The Parklands, Lostock, Bolton, BL6 4SD. This is usually the head office; the job itself may be somewhere else. ### How current is this information? This page uses the UK Home Office register of licensed sponsors, as published on 30 October 2026, and Companies House records for company number 05525751. We update it daily. Always confirm a licence status on GOV.UK. ## About this data - Source register: UK Home Office, Register of Licensed Sponsors (Workers), https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/register-of-licensed-sponsors-workers (Open Government Licence v3). GOV.UK is authoritative; confirm there before relying on a licence status. - Company records: Companies House, https://find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk/ - Published by Borderless (https://www.getborderless.co.uk), an OISC-regulated UK immigration provider. This is public register data, not legal advice. - "First seen on the register" is when this organisation first appeared in our data, not the official licence grant date. - Web page: https://uk-sponsors.getborderless.co.uk/sponsors/ao-world-plc-bolton-793816 - This fact sheet: https://uk-sponsors.getborderless.co.uk/sponsors/ao-world-plc-bolton-793816.md - Site overview for AI agents: https://uk-sponsors.getborderless.co.uk/llms.txt - Something wrong? Request a correction from the web page and the Borderless team will check it.