Index (retailer)


Index was a catalogue retailer in the United Kingdom, that was owned by Littlewoods from 1985 until 2005. Many Index stores were attached to Littlewoods stores. It was a well known retailer in the 1980s and the 1990s, but after sales began to decline in the 2000s, its popularity became disputable and it started losing many customers to its rival, Argos.
During their twenty-year history, Index lost £100 million, eventually causing Littlewoods to sell the shops. In April 2005, GUS plc, then the owner of Argos, purchased thirty three stores of Index to be converted into stores of Argos.

Closure

Littlewoods closed all its Index branches in April 2005. Of these, thirty three were sold to GUS plc, and around eight hundred employees of Index were transferred to Argos.
Argos also acquired the rights to Index.co.uk and the Index brand.