Argos to discontinue titanic catalogue after nearly 50 years

This is the sort of news that’s sure to make you feel like a golden oldie. The monumental catalogue that we all remember from the days of yesteryear is soon to be discontinued.

Argos says online shopping offers “greater convenience” than trawling through the catalogue, which was launched in 1973 and printed twice per year. At its height it was Europe's most widely-printed publication, and has sold over 1bn copies in its 47 year life.

Mark Given, chief marketing officer at Sainsbury’s, which owns Argos said: “Just as our customers’ tastes have changed over the years, so have their shopping habits. We are seeing an increasing shift towards digital shopping, using our mobile app, website and in-store browsers. Closing the book on the catalogue will help us focus on delivering exciting and inspiring digital shopping experiences to meet the changing needs of our customers.”

Over the last decade the number of printed copies of each edition has plummeted from about 10m to about 3m. The most recent one, printed in January this year saw around 3.9m copies sold.