Freemans has now shifted to a digital-only model, launching a brand-new look for its website as the culmination of a three-year digital transformation strategy.

The store’s catalogue, launched in 1905, was the ninth oldest mail-order catalogue in the world, and one of the first to introduce colour photos in the 1920s.

The final print run of its 1,000pp, 245x205mm full-season catalogue reached two million doorsteps, with six million smaller, seasonal versions reaching customers across the year.

Over the years, printers of the UK-only catalogues included the recently shuttered Prinovis, Axel Springer in Germany, Mondadori in Italy, Ringier in Switzerland, and Polestar Purnell.

Ann Steer, Freemans’ CEO, said: “The Freemans catalogue was a national institution and one of the most successful retail sales tools the UK has ever seen. 

“It was the UK's biggest and the best store catalogues and has served generations of families.

“However, we need to move with the times, in response to how customers are shopping these days. The transition to digital means we can serve today’s families with even more choice of great value items, all at the swipe of a phone screen.”

Freemans launched its digital transformation strategy in 2020 after suffering declining sales.

The retailer now receives over 30 million unique visitors to its website annually, and has experienced rapid growth in recent years, with a 13% jump in sales in the 12 months to June 2023 alone. 

In that time, the site’s customer base also grew by 34%.

Stopping the print catalogue will reduce Freemans annual paper usage by 650 tonnes.

Steer added: “It’s a significant step towards Freemans becoming the digital department store of choice for customers both new and old. 

“We have made huge in-roads over the last three years and it’s paying dividends as shoppers with Freemans.com continue to grow.”

Freemans turned over £169m in the 12 months to 25 February 2023, with an operating loss of £8.5m.