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Argos to open digital shops inside Sainsbury's stores

One of the main advantages retailers like Argos have over Amazon is that they operate huge stores all over the country. It encourages passing trade and it often means that customers can leave with their order just minutes after they arrive. The internet retailer is trying to combat this with the rollout of free same-day deliveries, forcing Argos to find new ways to get products into people's hands. Today, the company has confirmed it's done just that, announcing it will open 10 new digital stores inside selected Sainsbury's stores from this summer.

According to Argos, these new stores will offer up to 20,000 products that can be bought instantly in store or reserved for collection via its specialised tablet kiosks. More products are available if you choose to have them delivered to your home, but you can also use Argos' existing mobile apps to do the same job. Sainsbury's is letting Argos have between 1,000 and 5,000 square foot of store space inside its supermarkets, hoping that an increase in footfall will translate into more grocery sales. However, like Argos' recent tie-up with eBay, today's announcement does come as a surprise -- Sainsbury's already sells consumer electronics and homeware, meaning it could effectively see customers spend more money with its rival.