Sainsbury’s has announced that it is launching an Argos Click & Collect service in 100 Sainsbury’s Local convenience stores nationwide. The initiative is due to be complete by the end of 2017. It will enable customers to order Argos products and Tu clothing online and collect their purchases closer to where they live or work. The launch follows a successful three month trial in six Sainsbury’s Local stores.  

Sainsbury’s Group CEO, Mike Coupe, said: “As customer shopping habits change, people increasingly want flexibility, speed and choice. More customers than ever are ordering online and choosing to collect from a store, which makes their lives easier and frees up their valuable time. 

“Offering the Argos Click & Collect service in Sainsbury’s Local stores makes it even more convenient for our customers to buy our products.”  

He added: “Argos’ leading digital capability is an important differentiator for Sainsbury’s and is key to our future strategy. Over half of all Argos sales originate online and around 80 per cent of customers then opt to collect their purchases from one of our stores, that day or the next.”

The acquisition of Home Retail Group in September last year enabled Sainsbury’s to accelerate its strategy to be a multi-product, multi-channel retailer. Less than one year on from the acquisition, Sainsbury’s opened its 100th Argos digital store in a Sainsbury’s supermarket in Barnstaple, North Devon and the plan to open 250 Argos digital stores in Sainsbury’s supermarkets is on track for March 2019, six months ahead of the original schedule.