This Side of the Pond

This week’s story begins with an article in my hometown’s local newspaper. It won’t come across as particularly explosive, so I’ll get you up to speed in one sentence and you’ll see why it matters later: a supermarket chain, which has been cutting jobs for a while so is clearly not in the best of financial health, bought one of the most recognizable retail chains in Britain in 2016, and has just cut hundreds more.

I know, it’s bad news but also terribly boring. I wouldn’t have gobbled down every word either, if the story hadn’t been about Argos.

Ah, Argos, shop of possibilities, destination fo...