The Argos store at the Roaring Meg retail park in Stevenage has closed this week, as the retailer announced earlier this year that 100 sites are set to permanently close.
More than 45 branches have already shut their doors all across the UK, from Hull to Galway, Ireland.
Sainsbury’s, who acquired Argos in 2016, is gradually moving the retailer from standalone stores to a growing network of click-and-collect points and Argos concessions inside of the supermarket.
An Argos spokesperson confirmed: “We are relocating many of our standalone Argos stores to Sainsbury’s.”
Referencing the latest transition in Stevenage, the spokesperson added: “We understand this will be an unsettling time for those affected.
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“We are supporting them in any we can, including offering colleagues the opportunity to redeploy to other roles within Sainsbury’s and Argos.”
The Argos spokesperson added: “A brand-new Argos will open inside Sainsbury’s Stevenage, enabling customers to purchase thousands of technology, home and toy products from Argos while picking up their groceries.”
Disgruntled shoppers have taken to Facebook to air their grievances, with one user saying: “This is not good news.”
Another wrote: “A month before Christmas? Why have they not left it till January?
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“This will make it harder for customers to get last-minute presents as they won’t hold it in stock.”
There was another take on the Stevenage closure, with one user admitting: “We’re all guilty of turning to eBay, Amazon and any other online shop. Argos was just handy for same-day collections.”
By March 2024, Sainsbury’s suspects there will be 160 standalone Argos stores left, with up to 460 Argos counters inside supermarkets.
As reported in the Retail Gazette, Argos depots in Basildon and Heywood are set to close in 2026.
Sainsbury’s chief executive Simon Roberts said the gradual transformation “allows us to reduce costs”.
The plan is to reinvest the money to where it will make “the most impact” for customers.
Roberts said: “We understand that this will be an unsettling time for affected colleagues, and we will support them however we can throughout this process.
“We will be consulting closely with unions and colleagues as we look to streamline the number of sites in our general merchandise logistics network.”
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