Argos, part of the Home Retail Group, is bucking the trend with sales of computers and tablets up 7%, while 4k technology meant sales of top-end TVs were given a boost too, as customers raced to upgrade their sets before the Euro 2016 football tournament. Q1 2016 like-for-like sales rose by 0.1%, but better news came from the internet, where online sales were up 16%, the best figures for three years. The ONS said that in January 2016, UK retail sales increased at an annual rate of 2.9%, compared with growth of just 0.1% over the previous year.
Argos, part of the Home Retail Group, is bucking the trend with sales of computers and tablets up 7%, while 4k technology meant sales of top-end TVs were given a boost too, as customers raced to upgrade their sets before the Euro 2016 football tournament. Q1 2016 like-for-like sales rose by 0.1%, but better news came from the internet, where online sales were up 16%, the best figures for three years. John Walden, chief executive of Home Retail Group, said the Fast Track delivery service was paying off, and that “morale is good” ahead of Argos’ £1.4bn takeover by Sainsbury’s.