ONE of Bolton's most successful online retail businesses has been sold in a deal that could be netting former supermarket shelf stacker David Atherton up to £90 million.

Dabs.com, based on the Wingates Industrial Estate, has been bought by BT.

The size of the deal was not disclosed, but Dabs founder Mr Atherton, who put the firm up for sale at the beginning of 2004 through professional services company Deloitte, put a price tag on the business of at least £90 million.

The company sells computer hardware and accessories through its internet web stite Mr Atherton, aged 46, set up the business in 1990 and was the sole owner.

He will now sever his links with the business.

Other staff are not expected to be affected.

A spokesman for BT said that the company would not implement any changes for the forseeable future. "We have no intention to re-brand the company," he said. "It will remain a standalone business, though it will become a wholly-owned subsidiary. There are also no plans to make any changes to staff numbers."

Dabs.com employs more than 200 people and processes about 75,000 customer orders each month, offering more than 15,000 products from leading IT manufacturers.

It has around a million consumer and business customers across the UK, as well as a small operation in France. In the year ended March 31, 2005, the company's revenues were £180 million.

Jonathan Wall, marketing director at dabs.com, said: "This is a very exciting time. We are delighted with this development and we're confident that this will prove to be rewarding to both our business partners and our customers. The combination of our expertise in online retailing together with BT's brand and product and service heritage offers tremendous opportunities."

Ian Livingston, chief executive of BT Retail, said: "Dabs is a dotcom success story and one of the best companies in its field.

"Its outstanding expertise will boost BT's online power to sell innovative, value for money, communication and converged IT products.

"This purchase strengthens our online IT and digital products sales and service presence for small and medium-sized businesses as well as for consumer customers."

Leigh-born Mr Atherton was a supermarket shelf stacker for a brief period after leaving school.

After a brief spell working for the Inland Revenue he joined the BBC Worldwide, which developed software for the BBC Micro personal computer its answer to the Sinclair Spectrum.

Mr Atherton founded his first business, Dabs Press in 1987. In partnership with a writer called Bruce Smiththe name Dabs comes from the combined initials of their two namesDabs Press was a publisher of technology books specialising in practical "how to" guides for the computing marketplace.

Mr Atherton bought out Mr Smith in 1990 and set up Dabs Direct, the offline technology product mail order predecessor to the website-based online business dabs.com, which was rebranded and launched in 1998.

Mr Atherton, a self-confessed "former party animal" who cites his inspirations as Gandhi and Sir Thomas More, has previously said that the money was not important.

Speaking to Business Insider magazine in 2003, when the subject of Dabs' sale and a possible £90million windfall was first mentioned, he said: "I couldn't possibly spend that amount of money in a lifetime. And what would I do with it? I don't want to get to know everyone in Monaco why show off?

"I would have to do something socially responsible with the money which in itself would become another full-time job, so it would also fill my time."