People are only just realising the real meaning behind the name Argos – and it may surprise you
Plus, what Argos has said about recent store closures
WHAT'S IN A NAME People are only just realising the real meaning behind the name Argos – and it may surprise you
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YOU may have thumbed through an Argos catalogue over the years, but have you ever stopped to think about the name?
It turns out there is a key reason why the brand has its moniker - and its history is also tied to a popular supermarket too (and it's not Sainsbury's).
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There is a key reason why Argos has its name
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Argos is named after the Greek city of Argos
Credit: Getty
The Argos name doesn't come from its founder - Richard Tompkins - but is taken from the Greek city of Argos.
It was also chosen as it would feature high up in alphabetical brand listings.
The history behind the brand is even more fascinating than the name - and despite the brand now being owned by Sainsbury's, its early ties were with Tesco.
In the 1960s, the founder of Tesco, Sir Jack Cohen, signed up his grocery store chain to the Green Shield Stamps scheme.
This meant that Tesco customers could get stamps when they bought products at his shop.
They could then use stamps to buy products at the Green Shield Stamps catalogue stores which were located around the country.
The collaboration proved to be a huge success, and helped Tesco gain loyal customers.
It also helped Green Shield Stamps, who was owned by Richard Tompkins, and also gave him the idea that customers could also use cash to buy products from his catalogue.
He decided to rebrand Green Shield Stamps as Argos in 1973.
Argos actually lost Tesco as a client around 1977, when they ditched using the Green Shield Stamps scheme and focused on lowering prices across the chain.
I visited Argos' Clearance Store and couldn't believe how cheap everything was
In 1979, Argos was purchased by British American Tobacco and stopped issuing stamps entirely.
Just over a decade later, Argos was demerged and floated back on the stock market, but had now become a recognisable household brand.
By 2010, over 20 million copies of the catalogue were printed, with many people buying them ahead of Christmas to choose presents.
While Argos had major ties to Tesco when it was launched, it now is owned by one of its main rivals.
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Many Argos stores have closed in recent years and have been integrated into Sainsbury's supermarkets
Credit: Getty
In April 2016, Argos' parent Home Retail Group agreed to a £1.4 billion takeover by Sainsbury's - but the brand has struggled over the past few years.
A large number of the high street Argos stores have closed over the past few years, with many being replaced by an Argos outlet in Sainsbury's stores.
A spokesperson for Argos previously told The Sun: "The transformation of our Argos store and distribution network has been progressing at pace for several years now, improving availability, convenience and service for customers.
"As part of this, we are continuing to open new Argos stores and collection points in many of our Sainsbury's supermarkets, enabling customers to purchase thousands of technology, home and toy products from Argos while picking up their groceries."
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