Terry Duddy

Argos Limited is a British retailer founded in 1972 by Richard Tompkins. Tompkins established Argos by evolving his existing Green Shield Stamps concept. Argos retained Green Shield Stamps' catalogue-store model, where customers browse from a book rather than from shelves.

In 1979, Argos was acquired by BAT Industries. Over the years, it became a prominent trader in toys, jewellery, electronics, and home furnishings. In 1996, Argos expanded into Ireland. In 1998, Argos was acquired by the GUS plc conglomerate and expanded to reach a peak of 800 standalone stores. GUS was later spun-off to form Home Retail Group, with Argos as its flagship retailer. From 2007 to 2009, Argos traded in India, and from 2011 to 2013, Argos traded in China.

In 2016, Home Retail Group (including Argos) was acquired by Sainsbury's, which introduced Argos in its main stores and created Argos Collection Points in Sainsbury's Local shops. Since then, many Argos shops have closed, the print catalogue has been discontinued in favour of its consumer website, and the company has integrated tablets within its stores. In June 2023, Argos exited the Irish market due to poor trading conditions and high costs.

In 2026, it was announced that Sainsbury's had agreed to sell Argos to Swift Partners for £120 million, at which point there were 667 locations, with 201 operating as standalone stores.