A huge Argos store on Ashford Retail Park is to close later this year as part of plans to reduce the number of standalone shops.

The catalogue giant instead wants to open more collection points in Sainsbury's supermarkets to reduce costs by £105 million by March 2024.

A spokesman said: “Our Argos Ashford Retail Park store will close later this year and colleagues are being offered opportunities to redeploy to alternative roles within Sainsbury’s.

"Customers can continue to shop with us at our nearby stores, including our Argos store in Bybrook Sainsbury’s.”

The company has already closed 170 Argos stores across the UK, including one in New Rents which left Ashford town centre in June 2018 and moved to Sainsbury's Bybrook on the Warren Retail Park.

The move came after the sale of Argos' parent company, the Home Retail Group, to Sainsbury's for £1.4 billion in 2016.

The prime New Rents spot previously housed decorating specialist Fads and a Superdrug store but was knocked into one when Argos arrived in Ashford in 1996.

The unit sat abandoned for two years before furniture chain HomePlus took over the space in June 2020.

However the firm again moved in December and now occupies the former M&S shop in County Square after signing a 15-year lease with the shopping centre.

While Argos is leaving Ashford Retail Park, bakery chain Greggs has announced it will be opening its second Ashford store next to Costa this summer.

It will fill the former Carphone Warehouse unit.

Argos was unable to say exactly when the Ashford Retail Park store will shut, but its unit in Sainsbury's Bybrook on Warren Retail Park will remain unchanged.