AO World boss may have overheated his electrical appliance targets

Noble it may have been, but AO's plans to offer all staff good bonuses hinged on dreamily optimistic sales

About 15 months ago John Roberts, the founder, 23%-owner and chief executive of the online electricals retailer AO World, did a fine thing. He created an all-staff incentive scheme that is very different from other companies' executive-only affairs. It was, he said in his folksy way, one he'd be proud to tell my mum about".

Senior executives at AO would still shoot for multimillion-pound rewards (capped at 20m) but lower-paid workers would chase meaningful sums rather than a round of drinks". There was talk of AO's warehouse workers, on 18,000-20,000 a year, being awarded 30,000 bonuses if maximum targets were reached.