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| Type | Subsidiary |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1973 |
| Headquarters | Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire, England |
| Key people | Terry Duddy, Darren Marson, Sara Weller, Joe Phillips, Richard Tompkins (founder) |
| Industry | Retailer |
| Products | Consumer goods |
| Revenue | Sales £4.282 billion (2009) |
| Employees | circa 51,000 |
| Parent | Home Retail Group |
| Website | www.argos.co.uk |
Argos is the largest general-goods retailer in the United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland with 750 stores. Argos is unique amongst major retailers in the UK because its primary means of displaying goods to customers is via a catalogue. Customers browse through the Argos catalogue, select items to purchase, pay for the items, and then collect the items from the in-store collection desk or have the item delivered to their home – it is a catalogue merchant. Together with its sister company Homebase (350 stores), it makes up part of the larger Home Retail Group.
Argos owns several brands including Elizabeth Duke[1] (jewellery, see below, but dropped in the latest catalogue), Mikomi[2] Alba, Bush[3] and Chad Valley.[4] and many others.[5]
Argos was once a FTSE 100 Index constituent but is now owned by Home Retail Group.
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History
The Company was founded by Richard Tompkins who had 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 stamps. 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 launched with 1000 members of staff, taking £1,000,000 during a week in November.[6] Argos was purchased by BAT Industries in 1979 for a deal worth £32 million. In 1980, Argos opened its Elizabeth Duke jewellery counter (named after the director's wife) and by 1982 was the UK's 4th biggest jewellery retailer.
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.[7] It subsequently became part of Home Retail Group which was demerged from its parent company, GUS plc, with effect from 10 October 2006.[8]
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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,[9] Pro Action,[10] Visiq,[11] Mikomi,[12] Cookworks,[13] Beanstalk,[14] Pro Fitness,[15] Opticom,[16] Grosvenor,[17] Steamworks,[18] Aquarius,[19] Coolworks,[20] and Mega Games. In early 2009, Argos also struck a deal to take over the brands : Alba, Bush[3] and Chad Valley.[4]
Controversies
Sunday trading
In 2001, Argos sparked a political controversy in Scotland, when it sacked several workers for refusing to work on a Sunday.[21] This action would have been illegal in the rest of the U.K., 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,[22] 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.
Price fixing
In 2002, Argos, along with rival retailer Index, was accused by the Office of Fair Trading of price fixing goods from toy manufacturer Hasbro.[23] The decision reached in 2003 resulted in Argos being fined £17.28 million,[24] however, an appeal in 2005 led to that being reduced to £15 million.[25] Argos boss Terry Duddy gave evidence along with David Snow, Jonathan Ward, Alan Cowley and Ian Thompson.[26] 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 Leather and Walmsleys were featured in a BBC Watchdog report on skin irritation.[27] 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.
References
- ^ "Elizabeth Duke" trademark registration, UK Patent Office website. Information retrieved 2007-03-04.
- ^ "Mikomi" trademark registration (electronics), UK Patent Office website. Information retrieved 2007-03-04.
- ^ a b "Trademark 2498304". Ipo.gov.uk. http://www.ipo.gov.uk/t-find-number?detailsrequested=C&trademark=2498304. Retrieved 2009-10-13.
- ^ a b "Trademark 1016513". Ipo.gov.uk. http://www.ipo.gov.uk/t-find-number?detailsrequested=C&trademark=1016513. Retrieved 2009-10-13.
- ^ Argos trademarks, UK Patent Office website. Information retrieved 2007-03-04.
- ^ Milestones and Memories, Argos. Article retrieved 2007-03-04.
- ^ "Argos attacks GUS offer". BBC News. 1998-02-26. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/low/business/60296.stm. Retrieved 2009-10-13.
- ^ "GUS reveals demerger plans". Findarticles.com. 2009-06-02. http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_hb6602/is_200609/ai_n26021816. Retrieved 2009-10-13.
- ^ "Trademark 789922". Ipo.gov.uk. http://www.ipo.gov.uk/t-find-number?detailsrequested=C&trademark=789922. Retrieved 2009-10-13.
- ^ "Trademark 2130732". Ipo.gov.uk. http://www.ipo.gov.uk/t-find-number?detailsrequested=C&trademark=2130732. Retrieved 2009-10-13.
- ^ "Trademark 2189886". Ipo.gov.uk. http://www.ipo.gov.uk/t-find-number?detailsrequested=C&trademark=2189886. Retrieved 2009-10-13.
- ^ "Trademark 2189887". Ipo.gov.uk. http://www.ipo.gov.uk/t-find-number?detailsrequested=C&trademark=2189887. Retrieved 2009-10-13.
- ^ "Trademark 2189939". Ipo.gov.uk. http://www.ipo.gov.uk/t-find-number?detailsrequested=C&trademark=2189939. Retrieved 2009-10-13.
- ^ "Trademark 2189941". Ipo.gov.uk. http://www.ipo.gov.uk/t-find-number?detailsrequested=C&trademark=2189941. Retrieved 2009-10-13.
- ^ "Trademark 2266276". Ipo.gov.uk. http://www.ipo.gov.uk/t-find-number?detailsrequested=C&trademark=2266276. Retrieved 2009-10-13.
- ^ "Trademark 2346292". Ipo.gov.uk. http://www.ipo.gov.uk/t-find-number?detailsrequested=C&trademark=2346292. Retrieved 2009-10-13.
- ^ "Trademark 2369535". Ipo.gov.uk. http://www.ipo.gov.uk/t-find-number?detailsrequested=C&trademark=2369535. Retrieved 2009-10-13.
- ^ "Trademark 2446698". Ipo.gov.uk. http://www.ipo.gov.uk/t-find-number?detailsrequested=C&trademark=2446698. Retrieved 2009-10-13.
- ^ "Trademark 2421779". Ipo.gov.uk. http://www.ipo.gov.uk/t-find-number?detailsrequested=C&trademark=2421779. Retrieved 2009-10-13.
- ^ "Trademark 2471774". Ipo.gov.uk. http://www.ipo.gov.uk/t-find-number?detailsrequested=C&trademark=2471774. Retrieved 2009-10-13.
- ^ "Sunday roasting for retailer", news.bbc.co.uk. Article dated 2002-07-01. Retrieved 2007-03-04.
- ^ "Argos Sunday working climbdown", news.bbc.co.uk. Article dated 2002-07-01. Retrieved 2006-11-06.
- ^ "Inquiry into toy 'price fixing'", bbc.co.uk. Article dated 2002-05-01. Retrieved 2007-03-04.
- ^ oft.gov.uk. Retrieved 2007-03-04.
- ^ oft.gov.uk. Retrieved 2007-03-04.
- ^ Agreements between Hasbro U.K. Ltd, Argos Ltd and Littlewoods Ltd fixing the price of Hasbro toys and games, oft.gov.uk. Article dated 2002-02-19. Retrieved 2007-03-04.
- ^ "BBC Watchdog - Itchy Sofas", bbc.co.uk. Article dated 2008-02-18. Retrieved 2008-02-21.
Related links
External links
- British Argos website
- Argos Ireland website
- Argos' Indian Website
- Home Retail Group Corporate Website
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