A Kent district’s last-remaining standalone Argos store is set to close for good.

Bosses from the national chain have confirmed the site on the Marshwood Close Retail Park off Sturry Road, Canterbury, will shut down.

This will coincide with the launch in September of an Argos shop inside the Sainsbury’s store about a mile away in Kingsmead Road.

Officials stress the soon-to-shut branch’s workers will be offered new roles with the chain’s supermarket sister.

An Argos spokesman told KentOnline: “To make shopping convenient for customers and to enable us to invest where it matters most, we are relocating many of our standalone sites to Sainsbury’s – this includes our Marshwood Close store.

“We understand this will be an unsettling time for those affected, and colleagues will be offered the opportunity to redeploy to other roles within Sainsbury’s.

“Later this year, a brand-new Argos will open inside Sainsbury’s Canterbury.

“Our customers will be able to enjoy greater convenience as it will enable them to purchase technology, home and toy products while picking up their groceries.”

Sainsbury’s has already put the Marshwood Close site on the market to rent for more than £300,000 per year.

However, papers show the lease for the building will expire next August.

The chain is also still advertising the former Argos unit on Wincheap’s Riverside Retail Park.

Its departure from the shopping complex last year closely followed the closures of neighbouring Mothercare and Carphone Warehouse stores.

The news prompted business expert Prof Richard Scase to predict trading days for retail parks “which offer no experiences” are now limited.

“I see them going in the next five to 10 years’ time – and that’s at the most,” he said.

“They will just go. And what are you going to do with these vacant buildings?

“They can’t really be used for anything else. Or you might get very cheap discount stores moving in, but that’s not really the shopping experience people go for.

“The sorts of products being offered at the sorts of stores on retail parks are particularly vulnerable because you don’t need to touch it and feel it.”

In all, 420 standalone Argos stores will stop operating by 2024, leaving about 100 across the country.