ONE of Farnham’s most prominent retailers Argos is set to vacate its premises of 34 years in March and relocate to Sainsbury’s in South Street.

An estate agent from Savills was spotted erecting a ‘To Let’ sign above the 121 West Street store’s door on Saturday, December 23, and Argos has since confirmed the impending move.

It comes after Sainsbury’s parent company acquired Home Retail Group, which owns Argos, in September 2016, making it one of the UK‘s biggest retail companies.

David Mills, Sainsbury’s head of property communications, told The Herald: “We are consulting with colleagues and transferring them across to the new shop which will open in early March.

“The current store will continue to trade until then.”

The new store at Sainsbury’s, South Street, will offer thousands of products for immediate pickup, as well as 20,000 products to collect in store “within hours” and 20,000 extra products which can be ordered for home delivery.

It will have a “digital” focus, with tablet computers mirroring the online shopping experience, and there will also be an eBay collection point so buyers can collect their eBay purchases.

Argos says the combination of Sainsbury’s and Argos will enable customers to “shop conveniently through different online, mobile and store channels”. It will also give customers “more choice” across different product ranges, “creating one of the UK’s largest non-food retailers”.

Mr Mills added: “We are delighted to be welcoming Argos and its team to our Farnham supermarket. The new shop is great news for customers, who are looking for easier, more convenient ways to shop. 

“We’re looking forward to offering them an increased range of products at great value, all under one roof.”

Argos has operated from 121 West Street, a former coaching inn where the poet laureate Lord Tennyson met his future wife Emily Sellwood, since 1984.