Argos to offer same-day home delivery service

Retail giant Argos is to offer a same-day home delivery service stretching to Sundays in a first for the UK high street.

The UK-wide service starts today allowing customers to order an item by 6pm and have it delivered by 10pm for a flat fee of £3.95.

The catalogue chain is not using courier companies and has instead directly employed 3,300 drivers, with a focus on customer service at the front door and the aim of using local people familiar with their own area to carry out the deliveries.

The new service comes 15 years after the retailer first offered click and collect in the UK.

Earlier this year, Amazon introduced a one-hour delivery service for paying members in selected parts of London for £6.99.

John Walden, chief executive of Argos owner Home Retail Group, said: "We believe Fast Track is the next big innovation and brings shopping into the digital age for customers, allowing them to get up to 20,000 products in their hands faster than ever before.

"We can do this because we are a different type of retailer. We know where every product is in our network and for customers who shop across digital channels - online and mobile - that means they can get what they want faster and with certainty."

Bryan Roberts, senior vice president at analysts Kantar, said: "Delivery has emerged as one of the key battlegrounds for UK retailers, as customers increasingly look for multiple delivery slots that allow them to shop how and when they want on the same day.

"In terms of customers being able to order online as late as 6pm and receive products on their doorstep that evening, Argos is showing its rivals a clean pair of heels with this new speedy nationwide service.

"While having the right offer at the right price will be crucial as ever this Christmas, there will also be a sprint finish on the nation's roads to deliver the goods the same or next day."