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Argos (retailer)
Encyclopedia
Argos is the largest general-goods retailer in the United Kingdom
and Ireland
with over 800 stores. It is unique amongst major retailers in the UK in that it is a catalogue merchant
. It primarily displays goods by catalogue, from which customers make their selections to purchase, pay, and then collect the items from an in-store collection desk or have the item delivered to their home, similar to defunct US retailer Montgomery Ward
. Together with sister company Homebase
, it today forms part of the Home Retail Group.
Argos owns numerous brands including Elizabeth Duke (jewellery, now Jewellery and Watches), Alba
, Bush, Chad Valley and many others.
Argos was once a FTSE 100 Index
constituent in its own right but is today represented by its parent company
Home Retail Group in the FTSE 250 Index
.
who had previously established Green Shield Stamps
in the United Kingdom
. Whilst on holiday in the Greek
city of Argos
, he came up with the idea that people could purchase goods from his "Green Shield Gift House" with cash rather than savings stamp
s. He rebranded the original Green Shield Stamps
catalogue shops as Argos beginning in July 1973, the first purpose-built store opening on the A28
Sturry Road, Canterbury
in late 1973.
Argos was launched with 1000 members of staff, taking £1,000,000 (€1,200,000) during a week in November. Argos was purchased by BAT Industries
in 1979 for £32 (€35) million. In 1980, Argos opened its Elizabeth Duke jewellery counter (named after a director's wife) and by 1982 was the UK's fourth biggest jewellery retailer. The Elizabeth Duke brand has since been phased out and replaced with the "Jewellery and Watches" brand.
The company was demerged from BAT Industries and listed on the London Stock Exchange
in 1990. It was then acquired by GUS plc
in 1998. It subsequently became part of Home Retail Group which was demerged from its parent company, GUS plc, with effect from 10 October 2006.
, Bush and Chad Valley
.
, Abingdon
, Cambridge
, Harlow
and Cheltenham
. These stores are operated by Argos following Home Retail Group's acquisition of a stake in an Irish retail chain with the same name. The Harlow store also includes a "BedStore&More".
website in conjunction with BeatThatQuote.com
.
on channel 819. Argos have leased the Sky EPG
slot from JML Direct TV
for 12 months to trial the channel and also use JML's facilities in Kentish Town
. The channel broadcasts 24-hours a day and is produced by ETV Media Group, with four hours of live programming each weekday and eight hours a day at weekends. Viewers are able to purchase items and collect them from local Argos stores through the retailer's "check and reserve" service.
Catalogues are complemented by seasonal sales flyers, offering Non-Catalogue lines and price reductions on existing deals. Other items are sometimes available in stores, such as ex-catalogue goods at reduced prices (especially after the launch of a new catalogue).
In early 2006, Argos carried out a trial of a new catalogue branded Argos Home in over 100 stores in the U.K. This proved successful and on 5 August 2006, it launched the second Argos Home catalogue, this time in all 200 Argos Extra stores. The catalogue only contains home furniture and styling tips for the current season. Most items displayed in the Argos Home catalogue are also available in the main catalogue too. There are occasionally new lines in the Home catalogue which may have not been available at the time the main catalogue went to print.
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As part of the Autumn/Winter 2010 rebrand, all stores will be branded simply as "Argos" when they are refitted. Former "Extra" marked lines will be available in all stores. However, stock levels will entirely depend on the area's demand for that particular line. If it does not sell, then the item will have to be ordered in to that store. (Argos stores in city centres will theoretically have a slightly different stocked-in range than those on retail parks.)
, when it sacked several workers for refusing to work on a Sunday. This action would have been illegal in the rest of the UK, as the Sunday Trading Act 1994
gave shopworkers in England and Wales
the right to refuse Sunday work (unless they were employed to work solely on a Sunday). The 1994 Act did not apply to Scotland as there was no legislation regarding Sunday trading applicable to Scotland. Although Argos later retracted its decision to sack the workers and to enforce a Sunday working clause in Scottish employee contracts, its actions led to the passing of the Sunday Working (Scotland) Act 2003
which extended the legal right of employees to refuse Sunday working to include shopworkers in Scotland.
, was accused by the Office of Fair Trading
of price fixing
goods from toy manufacturer Hasbro
. The decision reached in 2003 resulted in Argos being fined £17.28 (€19) million, however, an appeal in 2005 led to that being reduced to £15 (€17) million. Argos boss Terry Duddy gave evidence along with David Snow, Jonathan Ward, Alan Cowley and Ian Thompson. As of 2005, Argos denies price fixing and is appealing the decision.
and Walmsleys were featured in a BBC Watchdog report on skin irritation. The Chinese manufacturer, LinkWise, denies that the furniture is to blame for the incidents. Watchdog praised Argos for its speedy voluntary recall of the affected products, compared to the two other retailers involved. However, during a lengthy case ending in 2010, customers won compensation against the company.
, compared to the UK, has attracted criticism.
. This charity partnership began in July 2010 and will continue until July 2012. Current sponsorship activities by Argos include sponsoring the ITV show Sing If You Can
, where funds raised go to the Teenage Cancer Trust.
Previous charity partnerships include the British Heart Foundation
(July 2008 - July 2010) and Help The Hospices (July 2006 - July 2008).
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
and Ireland
Republic of Ireland
Ireland , described as the Republic of Ireland , is a sovereign state in Europe occupying approximately five-sixths of the island of the same name. Its capital is Dublin. Ireland, which had a population of 4.58 million in 2011, is a constitutional republic governed as a parliamentary democracy,...
with over 800 stores. It is unique amongst major retailers in the UK in that it is a catalogue merchant
Catalog merchant
A catalog merchant is a form of retailing. The typical merchant sells a wide variety of household and personal products, with many emphasizing jewelry. Unlike a self-serve retail store, most of the items are not displayed; customers select the products from printed catalogs in the store and fill...
. It primarily displays goods by catalogue, from which customers make their selections to purchase, pay, and then collect the items from an in-store collection desk or have the item delivered to their home, similar to defunct US retailer Montgomery Ward
Montgomery Ward
Montgomery Ward is an online retailer that carries the same name as the former American department store chain, founded as the world's #1 mail order business in 1872 by Aaron Montgomery Ward, and which went out of business in 2001...
. Together with sister company Homebase
Homebase
Homebase is a British home improvement store and garden centre, with 350 stores across the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland. It is well known by its green and orange colour scheme. Together with its sister company Argos , it forms part of Home Retail Group. Homebase recorded sales figures...
, it today forms part of the Home Retail Group.
Argos owns numerous brands including Elizabeth Duke (jewellery, now Jewellery and Watches), Alba
Alba (brand)
Alba is a British consumer electronics manufacturing company owned by Home Retail Group. Its sister brand is Bush. Today, all Alba and Bush products are sold exclusively at Argos.-History:...
, Bush, Chad Valley and many others.
Argos was once a FTSE 100 Index
FTSE 100 Index
The FTSE 100 Index, also called FTSE 100, FTSE, or, informally, the footsie , is a share index of the 100 most highly capitalised UK companies listed on the London Stock Exchange....
constituent in its own right but is today represented by its parent company
Parent company
A parent company is a company that owns enough voting stock in another firm to control management and operations by influencing or electing its board of directors; the second company being deemed as a subsidiary of the parent company...
Home Retail Group in the FTSE 250 Index
FTSE 250 Index
The FTSE 250 Index is a capitalisation-weighted index consisting of the 101st to the 350th largest companies on the London Stock Exchange. Promotions to and demotions from the index take place quarterly in March, June, September and December...
.
History
The company was founded by Richard TompkinsRichard Tompkins
Granville Richard Francis Tompkins CBE was a print, advertising and retail entrepreneur, best known for founding the Green Shield Stamps company, as well as the Argos chain of catalogue stores which became one of the largest retailers in the United Kingdom and a constituent of the FTSE 100...
who had previously established Green Shield Stamps
Green Shield Stamps
Green Shield Stamps were a sales promotion or incentive loyalty scheme using trading stamps, designed and deployed in the United Kingdom and Ireland to encourage or reward shopping, by being able to buy gifts...
in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
. Whilst on holiday in the Greek
Greece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
city of Argos
Argos
Argos is a city and a former municipality in Argolis, Peloponnese, Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality Argos-Mykines, of which it is a municipal unit. It is 11 kilometres from Nafplion, which was its historic harbour...
, he came up with the idea that people could purchase goods from his "Green Shield Gift House" with cash rather than savings stamp
Savings stamp
A Savings Stamp is a stamp issued by a government or other body to enable small amounts of money to be saved over time to accumulate a larger capital sum. The funds accumulated may then be used to make a larger purchase such as taking out a savings bond or to pay a large upcoming bill...
s. He rebranded the original Green Shield Stamps
Green Shield Stamps
Green Shield Stamps were a sales promotion or incentive loyalty scheme using trading stamps, designed and deployed in the United Kingdom and Ireland to encourage or reward shopping, by being able to buy gifts...
catalogue shops as Argos beginning in July 1973, the first purpose-built store opening on the A28
A28 road
The A28 is a trunk road in southern England. It runs south-west from the seaside resort of Margate in Kent via Westgate and Birchington, reaching open countryside at Sarre. The road continues via Upstreet and Hersden to Sturry, and on to the cathedral city of Canterbury...
Sturry Road, Canterbury
Canterbury
Canterbury is a historic English cathedral city, which lies at the heart of the City of Canterbury, a district of Kent in South East England. It lies on the River Stour....
in late 1973.
Argos was launched with 1000 members of staff, taking £1,000,000 (€1,200,000) during a week in November. Argos was purchased by BAT Industries
British American Tobacco
British American Tobacco p.l.c. is a global tobacco company headquartered in London, United Kingdom. It is the world’s second largest quoted tobacco company by global market share , with a leading position in more than 50 countries and a presence in more than 180 countries...
in 1979 for £32 (€35) million. In 1980, Argos opened its Elizabeth Duke jewellery counter (named after a director's wife) and by 1982 was the UK's fourth biggest jewellery retailer. The Elizabeth Duke brand has since been phased out and replaced with the "Jewellery and Watches" brand.
The company was demerged from BAT Industries and listed on the London Stock Exchange
London Stock Exchange
The London Stock Exchange is a stock exchange located in the City of London within the United Kingdom. , the Exchange had a market capitalisation of US$3.7495 trillion, making it the fourth-largest stock exchange in the world by this measurement...
in 1990. It was then acquired by GUS plc
GUS (retailer)
GUS plc was a FTSE 100 retailing group based in the United Kingdom. GUS is an abbreviation of Great Universal Stores, the company's former name before 2001...
in 1998. It subsequently became part of Home Retail Group which was demerged from its parent company, GUS plc, with effect from 10 October 2006.
2010 rebranding
It was announced in late 2009 that the Argos visual branding would be undergoing changes from 2010. This began on 23 January with the re-launch of the main shopping website, the careers website and the release of the Spring/Summer 2010 catalogue. All stores opening from the start of 2010 onwards will receive the new identity, with older stores being refurbished in the coming years. The company expect that the rebranding process will take "a number of years", at a cost of £70,000,000.Operations
Argos is the registered owner of a number of brands, which feature on a substantial number of products contained within the catalogue, including: Challenge, Pro Action, Visiq, Cookworks, Beanstalk, Pro Fitness, Opticom, Grosvenor, Steamworks, Aquarius, Coolworks, and Mega Games. In early 2009, Argos also struck a deal to take over the brands AlbaAlba (brand)
Alba is a British consumer electronics manufacturing company owned by Home Retail Group. Its sister brand is Bush. Today, all Alba and Bush products are sold exclusively at Argos.-History:...
, Bush and Chad Valley
Chad Valley
Chad Valley is a long-established brand of toys in the United Kingdom owned by Home Retail Group. The company has its roots in a printing business established by Anthony Bunn Johnson in Birmingham in the early 19th century...
.
HomeStore&More
In 2007 Home Retail Group launched a trial of five stores, branded HomeStore&More, and situated in AylesburyAylesbury
Aylesbury is the county town of Buckinghamshire in South East England. However the town also falls into a geographical region known as the South Midlands an area that ecompasses the north of the South East, and the southern extremities of the East Midlands...
, Abingdon
Abingdon
Abingdon may refer to the following places:In Australia :* Abingdon, Queensland, a place in Northern QueenslandIn Britain:*Abingdon, Oxfordshire**Abingdon School**Abingdon Abbey**Abingdon Lock**Abingdon Bridge**Abingdon Air & Country Show...
, Cambridge
Cambridge
The city of Cambridge is a university town and the administrative centre of the county of Cambridgeshire, England. It lies in East Anglia about north of London. Cambridge is at the heart of the high-technology centre known as Silicon Fen – a play on Silicon Valley and the fens surrounding the...
, Harlow
Harlow
Harlow is a new town and local government district in Essex, England. It is located in the west of the county and on the border with Hertfordshire, on the Stort Valley, The town is near the M11 motorway and forms part of the London commuter belt.The district has a current population of 78,889...
and Cheltenham
Cheltenham
Cheltenham , also known as Cheltenham Spa, is a large spa town and borough in Gloucestershire, on the edge of the Cotswolds in the South-West region of England. It is the home of the flagship race of British steeplechase horse racing, the Gold Cup, the main event of the Cheltenham Festival held...
. These stores are operated by Argos following Home Retail Group's acquisition of a stake in an Irish retail chain with the same name. The Harlow store also includes a "BedStore&More".
ArgosCompare
Argos operate a financial services price comparisonPrice comparison service
On the internet, a price comparison service allows individuals to see different lists of prices for specific products. Most price comparison services do not sell products themselves, but source prices from retailers from whom users can buy...
website in conjunction with BeatThatQuote.com
BeatThatQuote.com
BeatThatQuote.com is a British price comparison site specialising in personal finance products.-History:BeatThatQuote.com was launched by John Paleomylites in February 2005 based in London's Kentish Town., by 2006 it was awarded the 'young company of the year' by the CBI/Real Business Growing...
.
Argos TV
On 15 June 2011, Argos TV was launched on Sky channel 642 and online. On 25 October 2011, the channel was added to FreesatFreesat
Freesat is a free-to-air digital satellite television joint venture between the BBC and ITV plc, serving the United Kingdom. The service was formed as a memorandum in 2007 and has been marketed since 6 May 2008...
on channel 819. Argos have leased the Sky EPG
Electronic program guide
Electronic program guides and interactive program guides provide users of television, radio, and other media applications with continuously updated menus displaying broadcast programming or scheduling information for current and upcoming programming...
slot from JML Direct TV
JML Direct TV
JML Direct TV is a generic name for a series of British shopping channels broadcasting on the Sky, Freesat and Freeview platforms, owned by JML Direct Limited.JML Direct TV originally launched on Sky channel 664, on 1 October 2002 as JML Direct...
for 12 months to trial the channel and also use JML's facilities in Kentish Town
Kentish Town
Kentish Town is an area of north west London, England in the London Borough of Camden.-History:The most widely accepted explanation of the name of Kentish Town is that it derived from 'Ken-ditch' meaning the 'bed of a waterway'...
. The channel broadcasts 24-hours a day and is produced by ETV Media Group, with four hours of live programming each weekday and eight hours a day at weekends. Viewers are able to purchase items and collect them from local Argos stores through the retailer's "check and reserve" service.
Catalogues
Argos publishes catalogues twice a year (a Spring/Summer edition in January and an Autumn/Winter edition in July). Current editions have well over 1500 pages containing photographs of items, brief descriptions, prices and a catalogue number. Store copies are almost identical to home versions except for being ring-bound with individually laminated pages.Catalogues are complemented by seasonal sales flyers, offering Non-Catalogue lines and price reductions on existing deals. Other items are sometimes available in stores, such as ex-catalogue goods at reduced prices (especially after the launch of a new catalogue).
In early 2006, Argos carried out a trial of a new catalogue branded Argos Home in over 100 stores in the U.K. This proved successful and on 5 August 2006, it launched the second Argos Home catalogue, this time in all 200 Argos Extra stores. The catalogue only contains home furniture and styling tips for the current season. Most items displayed in the Argos Home catalogue are also available in the main catalogue too. There are occasionally new lines in the Home catalogue which may have not been available at the time the main catalogue went to print.
Sunday trading
In 2001, Argos sparked a political controversy in ScotlandScotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
, when it sacked several workers for refusing to work on a Sunday. This action would have been illegal in the rest of the UK, as the Sunday Trading Act 1994
Sunday Trading Act 1994
The Sunday Trading Act 1994 is an Act of Parliament in the United Kingdom governing the right of shops in England and Wales to trade on a Sunday...
gave shopworkers in England and Wales
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
the right to refuse Sunday work (unless they were employed to work solely on a Sunday). The 1994 Act did not apply to Scotland as there was no legislation regarding Sunday trading applicable to Scotland. Although Argos later retracted its decision to sack the workers and to enforce a Sunday working clause in Scottish employee contracts, its actions led to the passing of the Sunday Working (Scotland) Act 2003
Sunday Working (Scotland) Act 2003
The Sunday Working Act 2003 is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. The aim of the Act was to close an anomaly in employment law in the United Kingdom, whereby shopworkers in England and Wales had the legal right to refuse to work on a Sunday, when shopworkers in Scotland did not enjoy...
which extended the legal right of employees to refuse Sunday working to include shopworkers in Scotland.
Price fixing
In 2002, Argos, along with rival retailer Littlewoods IndexLittlewoods Index
Index was a catalogue retailer in the United Kingdom, that was owned by Littlewoods from 1985 until 2005.Many Index stores were attached to Littlewoods stores...
, was accused by the Office of Fair Trading
Office of Fair Trading
The Office of Fair Trading is a not-for-profit and non-ministerial government department of the United Kingdom, established by the Fair Trading Act 1973, which enforces both consumer protection and competition law, acting as the UK's economic regulator...
of price fixing
Price fixing
Price fixing is an agreement between participants on the same side in a market to buy or sell a product, service, or commodity only at a fixed price, or maintain the market conditions such that the price is maintained at a given level by controlling supply and demand...
goods from toy manufacturer Hasbro
Hasbro
Hasbro is a multinational toy and boardgame company from the United States of America. It is one of the largest toy makers in the world. The corporate headquarters is located in Pawtucket, Rhode Island, United States...
. The decision reached in 2003 resulted in Argos being fined £17.28 (€19) million, however, an appeal in 2005 led to that being reduced to £15 (€17) million. Argos boss Terry Duddy gave evidence along with David Snow, Jonathan Ward, Alan Cowley and Ian Thompson. As of 2005, Argos denies price fixing and is appealing the decision.
Furniture and skin burns
In 2008, Chinese manufactured sofas from Argos and other retailers Land of LeatherLand of Leather
Land of Leather was a furniture retail store based in Northfleet, Kent in the United Kingdom. It operated in the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland.- History :...
and Walmsleys were featured in a BBC Watchdog report on skin irritation. The Chinese manufacturer, LinkWise, denies that the furniture is to blame for the incidents. Watchdog praised Argos for its speedy voluntary recall of the affected products, compared to the two other retailers involved. However, during a lengthy case ending in 2010, customers won compensation against the company.
Pricing in Ireland
The higher price that Argos charges for goods in IrelandRepublic of Ireland
Ireland , described as the Republic of Ireland , is a sovereign state in Europe occupying approximately five-sixths of the island of the same name. Its capital is Dublin. Ireland, which had a population of 4.58 million in 2011, is a constitutional republic governed as a parliamentary democracy,...
, compared to the UK, has attracted criticism.
Slogans
The current slogan for Argos is "Find it, Get it, Argos It", as of late Q2 2010. Previous slogans have been "Don't shop for it, Argos it!" and more recently "Helping you Live for less".Charity partnerships
The current charity partner for Argos is the Teenage Cancer TrustTeenage Cancer Trust
Teenage Cancer Trust is a charity that focuses on the needs of teenagers and young adults with cancer, leukaemia, Hodgkin’s and related diseases by providing specialist teenage units in NHS hospitals. The units are dedicated areas for teenage patients, who are involved in their concept and creation...
. This charity partnership began in July 2010 and will continue until July 2012. Current sponsorship activities by Argos include sponsoring the ITV show Sing If You Can
Sing If You Can
Sing If You Can is an ITV1 game show which features celebrities attempting to sing in front of a live studio audience whilst various attempts are made to disrupt their performances. It is presented by Keith Lemon and Stacey Solomon, though originally Vernon Kay was scheduled to host, but he felt...
, where funds raised go to the Teenage Cancer Trust.
Previous charity partnerships include the British Heart Foundation
British Heart Foundation
The British Heart Foundation is a charity organisation in Britain that funds research, education, care and awareness campaigns aimed to prevent heart diseases in humans.-Foundation:...
(July 2008 - July 2010) and Help The Hospices (July 2006 - July 2008).
Related links
- GUS plcGUS (retailer)GUS plc was a FTSE 100 retailing group based in the United Kingdom. GUS is an abbreviation of Great Universal Stores, the company's former name before 2001...
- Home Retail Group
- Index: The Catalogue ShopLittlewoods IndexIndex was a catalogue retailer in the United Kingdom, that was owned by Littlewoods from 1985 until 2005.Many Index stores were attached to Littlewoods stores...
- Argos' UK rival from 1985–2005