Sainsbury’s unveils next stage of plans for Argos and Habitat
Sainsbury’s has stepped up its roll out of Argos stores in its supermarkets following its acquisition of Home Retail Group, including the Argos and Habitat chains, seven months ago.
The retailer has now opened 50 Argos digital stores in Sainsbury’s supermarkets and has committed to opening 250 over three years. There are also plans to transform 60 standalone Argos stores to the digital format which will result in over a third of the Argos store estate being digital in a year’s time.
Argos chief executive John Rogers said: “The opening of our 50th Argos Digital store just seven months after we acquired the company shows we are moving ahead at pace with our strategy. Our cutting-edge digital capability is a core strength of our business and our decision to transform 60 Argos stores by March next year moves our strategy on further.
“Over a third of the store estate will now benefit from cutting-edge digital technology that will improve the customer experience, making shopping faster and more convenient.”
Following the launch of the first mini Habitat concession in Sainsbury’s Nine Elms store last October, the seventh mini Habitat opened last week alongside the 50th Argos digital store at Sainsbury’s Kiln Lane supermarket in Epsom. Sainsbury’s has also announced plans to launch another 10 mini Habitats in its supermarkets during the current financial year.
