Index (retailer)

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Index was a catalogue retailer in the United Kingdom, purchased by rival Argos in 2005.

Index was formerly owned by retailer Littlewoods, with many Index stores attached to Littlewoods stores as well as several (around 60) stand-alone Index branches. Around half of these stand-alone stores have been purchased and rebranded by Argos.

During their 20-year history, Index lost £100 million[1], eventually causing parent company Littlewoods to sell the stores. Argos purchased the brand and the stand-alone properties to integrate them into the main Argos group.

[edit] Similarities with Argos

Both Argos and Index issued catalogues containing very similar items, although Argos had more appeal to the UK market than Index in the latter years. They both had jewellery counters, stock checkers, the same basis of catalogue slips and the same type of organisation, with the customer having to state catalogue numbers when ordering products from the tills.