Argos cancels production of its catalogue after 48 years

The "book of dreams" is no more

argos catalogue

by yours |
Published on

You might have fond memories of poring over the Argos catalogue, or even letting your children and grandchildren form their Christmas lists from it, but sadly production of the Argos catalogue is coming to and end.

48 years on from its launch, the catalogue will no longer be printed and available in stores.

The back catalogues have been available online since 2019, but there are no plans to re-create the catalogue for online so far.

Check out this vintage Argos advert from 1985

Mark Given, chief marketing officer at Sainsbury's - which owns Argos, told the BBC the move was in response to a shift in customers' shopping habits.

"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," he said.

"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."

Fans of the catalogue have taken to social media to lament the cancellation of the "book of dreams", which featured some of today's most well-known British celebrities in its pages.

holly willoughby argos
©Argos

Stars such as Holly Willoughby, Emma Bunton and Tess Daly modelled for the catalogue in past decades.

At one point, the catalogue was so popular that 10 million copies were printed, but the now-final release of the catalogue was only printed 3 million times.

Some readers say the news of the catalogue's cancellation brought back childhood memories:

Others felt like they'd be losing a Christmas tradition for their children, akin to choosing Christmas TV in the Radio Times:

Does the Argos catalogue bring back fond memories for you? Let us know on Facebook.

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