Argos scraps catalogue after 50 years as shoppers move online
Argos will stop printing its iconic catalogue after almost 50 years due to the increasing shift to online shopping.
The retailer said it would stop producing the catalogue due to changing customer shopping habits.
The bi-annual catalogue will no longer be regularly printed by the end of January 2021, according to reports.
Argos first launched the catalogue in 1972, and at the height of its popularity it was reportedly the most widely-printed publication in Europe.
The coronavirus pandemic has accelerated the move to digital shopping as all non-essential stores were forced to close during lockdown.
Orders made through smartphones and tablets make up more than 70 per cent of all of the retailer’s online sales, the BBC said.
The announcement that Argos will stop printing the catalogue, which provided inspiration for many children’s Christmas lists, prompted an outpouring of nostalgia online.
However fans of the Argos catalogue will be relieved to hear that the retailer will continue to print its annual Christmas gift guide.
Mark Given, chief marketing officer at Sainsbury’s – which owns Argos – told the BBC: “Over the decades the Argos catalogue has charted the nation’s changing tastes and trends in everything from must-have toys to the latest gadgets and devices.
“Just as our customers’ tastes have changed over the years, so have their shopping habits. We’re seeing an increasing shift towards digital shopping, using our mobile app, website and in-store browsers.”