UK online electrical retailer, expanding overseas
AO World has offshored about 150 call centre roles to South Africa with a further 50 planned offshore by next year, while posting a 145% rise in pre-tax profits to 50.5 million pounds. The group expects annual savings of around 4 million pounds from the move and is trialling robotics and AI to drive efficiency amid inflationary costs.
China's official manufacturing PMI has edged into expansion at 50.3 in June from May's 50.0, with improvements in new orders and production. Export demand remains a key engine, while domestic consumption shows caution amid a prolonged property downturn. Analysts expect policy support to sustain momentum.