A catalogue of success? Argos and catalogue showroom retailing

Abstract

With the exception of Argos, catalogue showroom retailing has not been a major success in Europe. Argos, founded in 1973 by the Green Shield stamp entrepreneur, Richard Tompkins, has grown to be one of Britain's leading retailers. Its corporate history, with two periods of independence and two periods as a business unit in a conglomerate, is of interest. Its innovativeness, through its catalogue development and format experimentation, makes Argos important to our understanding of retail change. The catalogues themselves are essential social and retailing history documents. Now part of GUS plc, Argos has to face the challenge and opportunities of the Internet. With experience of the catalogue as an intervening element in the customer purchase process, Argos has further potential as a multi-channel retailer.