Argos to open within Homebase in Plymouth

CATALOGUE retailer Argos is set to open up at a Plymouth Homebase store.

A new Argos Insert will be opening at Homebase's only remaining city store at Marsh Mills.

The kiosk is planned at the back of the store in Longbridge Road as part of several being rolled out by the retailers' owner across the country.

Argos and Homebase - along with Habitat - are owned by the Home Retail Group.

Homebase has struggled in recent times and among its store closures have been its former base in Peverell.

But now the Home Retail Group (HRG) is asking Plymouth City Council for permission to allow Argos to also trade from the Marsh Mills site.

Argos would take up around 185 square metres inside the store, primarily to run a 'click and collect' service.

That is where customers can buy their goods online and pick them up from a store rather than wait for home delivery.

The full Argos catalogue range would be available, according to planning documents.

They state: "Retailing is a dynamic industry that is constantly evolving.

"Existing businesses, such as Argos and Homebase, constantly have to adapt to these changes as well as the challenging retail market that has in particular characterised the recent economic downturn.

"Whilst there are signs of improvement, retailing remains a highly competitive sector of the UK economy.

"As a result, HRG have undertaken a review of its existing portfolio as well as its store formats to identify ways in which it can improve customer convenience and provide easier access to the goods that customers require capitalising at the same time from the on-going growth in internet based shopping."

Argos Insert has been trialled at a Homebase store in Dunfermline, in Scotland, and the Plymouth project is one of several others across the UK.

Argos already has two stores in the city centre, at New George Street and Royal Parade, and they will be unaffected by the move.

Source : Plymouth Herald
www.plymouthherald.co.uk/Argos-Plymouth-Homebase-store/story-25777913-detail/story.html