Argos UK store closures – which branches are closing and why?
ARGOS has closed dozens of stores in the last two years with plans for more to pull down their shutters.
The high street retailer has already closed 42 UK shops, including all 34 of its branches in the Republic of Ireland last June.
We explain how many Argos stores will be closing and where. Here's what we know.
How many Argos stores will be closing and why?
In July last year, Argos announced plans to close 100 UK branches over the following 12 months.
The closures are part of the retailer's plan to move away from the high street and focus on expanding its presence in supermarkets.
But despite the announcement the branches would close, Argos, owned by Sainsbury's, did not reveal the names of all the locations it would be closing.
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Which Argos stores are closing down?
The homewares retailer confirmed to The Sun last July that its standalone stores in Grimsby and Scunthorpe would close in August - but it could not confirm the exact dates.
Argos had plans to open stores inside nearby Sainsbury's stores in both Lincolnshire towns.
An Argos store in St Stephen's shopping centre in Hull closed in September, but a new concession was understood to be opening in the nearby Sainsbury's.
Either way, here is the full list of standalone Argos English stores included in the list of 100 that have already closed:
- Hull
- Grantham
- Grimsby
- Norwich
- Scunthorpe
- Newport
- Cardiff Bay
- Stevenage
What other stores have closed already?
Argos shut 45 branches in the 12 months to March last year, while at the same time opening 25 branches inside Sainsbury's stores.
Included in that list, the retailer shut stores in the following locations:
- Coventry
- Nottingham
- Lanarkshire
- Birkenhead
It also closed all of its 34 stores in the Republic of Ireland on June 24.
The full list of stores that closed down in Ireland are:
- Ashbourne Retail Park
- Athlone Argos
- Blanchardstown West End Argos
- Carlow Argos
- Castlebar Argos
- Cavan Argos
- Clonmel Argos
- Cork Mahon Argos
- Cork Retail Park Argos
- Drogheda Argos
- Dun Laoghaire Argos
- Dundalk Retail Park Argos
- Dundrum Argos
- Galway Argos
- Ilac Centre (Dublin) Argos
- Kilkenny Argos
- Killarney Argos
- Letterkenny Argos
- Liffey Valley Argos
- Limerick Childers Road Argos
- Longford Argos
- Monaghan Argos
- Naas Argos
- Navan Argos
- Omni Park (Dublin) Argos
- Portlaoise Argos
- Rathfarnham Nutgrove Argos
- Sligo Argos 4146
- St. Stephens Green (Dublin)
- Tallaght Argos
- Tralee Argos
- Tullamore Argos
- Waterford Argos
- Wexford Argos
The company blamed the closure of the Republic of Ireland stores on the investment required to develop and modernise the Irish part of its business as "not viable".
By March 2024, Sainsbury's expects to have 160 standalone stores and between 430 and 460 Argos counters inside Sainsbury's supermarkets.
It follows a tumultuous time for UK high streets with several popular chains including M&Co, Paperchase and Wilko closing all stores in 2023.
Retailers have been feeling the pinch since the pandemic while shoppers are cutting back on spending due to soaring inflation.
High energy costs and a shift to shopping online after the pandemic are also taking a toll and many high street shops have struggled to keep going.
Iceland closed down another one of its supermarkets in June.
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Plus, New Look permanently pulled the shutters down on two of its shops in June and July.
Shops aren't the only ones affected, major burger chain Byron Burger also fell into administration and closed nine restaurants immediately.
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