Argos Logo PNG
Shopping from A to Z is symbolized by the Argos logo. The emblem’s color scheme hints at discounts and hot offers; customers can follow a simple sequence of actions. Customers expect positive experiences and fast service.
Richard Tompkins launched Green Shield Stamps in 1958 after studying the S&H Green Stamps model in Chicago. Customers collected stamps at partner stores such as Tesco and exchanged them for goods. When Tesco abandoned the scheme in the 1970s, the business lost its core driver.
In November 1972, Tompkins registered Argos as a separate venture. In 1973, the first stores opened alongside a large catalog distribution. The model relied on showrooms, order forms, and warehouse pickup, reducing costs compared to chains like Woolworths. Demand exceeded expectations. By October 1973, reports highlighted queues and supply strain. Expansion accelerated, supported by assets transferred from Green Shield, including logistics infrastructure.
In May 1979, BAT Industries bought Argos for £32 million. Growth continued with new categories such as Elizabeth Duke jewelry. By the late 1980s, the network surpassed 300 stores. In April 1990, Argos was listed independently on the London Stock Exchange. By 1997, revenue reached £1.5 billion. The company entered the Irish market in 1996, and GUS plc acquired it in 1998, expanding to about 800 stores.
Online operations began in 2000 and became a major revenue channel by 2001. In 2006, Argos joined the Home Retail Group following a restructuring. Argos later abandoned attempts to enter India and China between 2007 and 2013. In 2016, Sainsbury’s acquired Home Retail Group for £1.4 billion, outbidding Steinhoff International. Integration shifted Argos toward in-store concessions within Sainsbury’s locations. In 2020, Argos closed most standalone stores, consolidating operations into supermarket formats.
Meaning and History
The company has gone through several stages of development and has built a successful network of general-purpose goods across websites and city stores. It had 883 retail outlets that generated revenue from a huge customer base. In real stores, 29 million people bought goods each year, and about 1 billion bought them online. Franchising abroad was also well developed.
This continued until the brand’s parent company ceded it to Sainsbury, which owns a chain of supermarkets in Britain. After a £1.4bn takeover, Argos became one of Sainsbury’s branded divisions. This happened in the fall of 2016. But the event did not affect its identity, as the new owner kept the old logo to maintain recognition among regular customers.
At the end of 2020, Argos was shaken by a flawed Sainsbury marketing strategy. As a result, the owner announced that 420 retail outlets would be liquidated by 2024. However, 120 stores that were temporarily closed due to the pandemic will never reopen. In 2021, a well-known retail brand faced a crisis that threatened to cost it its widely recognized emblem. And there are three of them in its history.
What is Argos?
Argos is a British retailer of clothing, footwear, food, sports equipment, jewelry, toys, furniture, appliances, and much more. It operates both in physical stores and on online platforms where customers can order goods for delivery. Richard Tompkins launched the company in 1972, and Sainsbury’s acquired it in 2016. The word “Argos” originates from the name of an ancient Greek city.
1973 – 1999
The debut logo is based on the trade network’s name. The word “Argos” is in a non-standard font with a connecting line at the bottom. It goes throughthe “g” and links the first “A” to the final “s.” All characters are serifs, surrounded by a double border – white and black stripes.
1999 – 2010
In the version approved in 1999, the designers divided the bottom line into two unequal parts. The long segment is the leg “A”; the short segment is the letter “s” without rounding. They also shortened the “g,” removed the outline and serifs, and made the lettering clean and smooth. Only the red color remained from the previous design.
2010 – today
The current emblem is simplified. Everything is laconic in it – both graphics and text. From the connecting line image in the form of an inverted arch, an arc in the form of a smile remained, and the wide signs became narrow symbols. The consulting design agency Brand Union (the author of the modern logo) inverted it by changing the letter and background colors. As a result, the white text now sits on the red rectangle.
Since 2010, the brand has been undergoing rebranding. In January, it received a new logo and relaunched a major online store. The remaining alterations will take several more years and, according to preliminary estimates, will cost 70 million pounds sterling. However, the updated emblem differs from the previous ones: it is much simpler and less distinctive.
Font and Colors
Although there is a font named Argos, it has nothing to do with the trademark logo’s typeface. In the first two versions, it was an individual inscription; in the current one, it is a modification of Magnum Sans Pro Bold Italic.
The palette did not change (except for shades) and always consisted of red and white. At first, the letters were colored, and the font was light, but now it’s the opposite.