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Who we are and what we do.

We are the UK's leading home and general merchandise retailer.

18,000+

The product range
available at Argos.

30,000+

The product range
available at Homebase.

4% ↓

The average price reduction
on reincluded lines in the
Spring/Summer 2008 Argos catalogue.

200m+

The number of store
transactions last year.

53,000

The foundation of our
business success is
our 53,000 colleagues.

Argos and Homebase are two of the UK's leading retail brands, with large customer bases across the UK and Ireland.

Between them, our retail brands have more than 60 years of market heritage and consumer awareness. Argos was founded in 1973 and Homebase in 1981. They have been shaping modern retailing ever since.

Argos, the UK’s largest general merchandise retailer, has an unrivalled blend of choice, value and convenience to meet customer needs.

Homebase is the UK’s second largest home improvement retailer, and offers a growing range of home enhancement products and services in a differentiated store environment.

Market strength

£60bn: Uk home and general merchandise market. 10%: Our share of this market £5.985bn

As the leader in UK home and general merchandise retailing, but with only a 10% share of the market, we still have significant room for growth.


Our sales mix

Argos sales mix: Home enhancement (30%). Electrical goods (50%). Toys, jewellery, sport and leisure equipment (50%) Homebase sales mix: DIY/decorating (41%). Gardening (23%). Home enhancement(33%). Other (3%) Group sales mix: Electrical goods(37%). Home enhancement, DIY/decorating and gardening (49%). Toys, jewellery, sport and leisure equipment (14%)

Wide coverage

We have more than 1,000 Argos and Homebase stores in the UK and Ireland in a variety of retail formats

1,038 stores

Store numbers 2007/08 (year-on-year changes)

Store numbers 2007/08 (year-on-year changes): Homebase 331(+21). Argos 707(+27)

Geographical breakdown 2007/08

Geographical breakdown (year-on-year changes): Scotland 95. Wales 53. Northern Irleand 36. Republic of Ireland 48. England 806

Purchasing scale

The size and sophistication of our procurement means we can source the products our customers want at great prices.

Shared Infrastructure

Our retail brands are supported by an increasingly shared infrastructure and logistics operation that enables us to meet customer needs cost-efficiently.

Becoming independent

Home Retail Group has been a standalone business and FTSE 100 company in its own right since the demerger from GUS plc in October 2006. But our success as an independent company is just the latest chapter in a bigger story.

Our history

  • 1998
    Acquisition of Argos by GUS plc

    Launch of Argos website
  • 2000
    Launch of Financial Services business
  • 2002
    Acquisition of Homebase by GUS plc
  • 2005
    Acquisition of 33 Index stores
  • 2006
    Demerger of Home Retail Group from GUS plc
  • 2007
    Launch of trials of Argos in India and HomeStore&More in the UK

    Acquisition of 27 Focus DIY stores