Britain's love affair with the Nintendo Wii video game console prompted a fall in sales of traditional toys over the Christmas period at one of the high street's biggest names.

Argos yesterday said that gaming and technology products dominated its list of bestsellers over the festive period. It took more than £4 million-worth of telephone and internet orders for the Wii console on November 30 alone.

Terry Duddy, chief executive of Home Retail Group, the owner of Argos, said that the Wii phenomenon had moved video games into the family entertainment sector.

Mr Duddy said: “We could have gone on selling everything Nintendo supplied. It wasn't a great Christmas for toys but games were up 40 per cent year on year. Parents were happy to buy a Wii and put it in the front room for their kids.”


The success of the Wii has already seen Game Group emerge as one of the winners on the high street over Christmas and the console also helped HMV to report record festive sales.

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