Argos has stopped printing its catalogue after 47 years as customers shifted to using the website for home-delivery or in-store collection. The retailer had already scaled back its publishing schedule to just twice a year with just 3 million copies printed, down from 10 million a decade ago.

Argos CEO said that the Sainsbury’s-owned chain had been contemplating the move for some time but that the decision “weighed heavily” on him. The trend towards e-commerce was present before the COVID-19 pandemic but the resulting lockdown accelerated the behavioural shift as customers were forced to stay and shop at home.