Argos has launched its speedy delivery service outside of London.

Argos has offered the 90 minute delivery service, provided by Shutl, in the capital since August 2010 but has extended it to Manchester and Milton Keynes from today.

Delivery has emerged as one of the key battlegrounds in multichannel retail with retailers including Oasis owner Aurora and maplin also signing up with Shutl. Along with offering 90 minute deliveries, it also allows customers to select a one hour delivery window.

Shutl, which works by aggregating the capacity of local same-day couriers into a web-based platform which is integrated with retailers’ ecommerce platforms, has previously been focussed largely in London, although Aurora has extended the service to other major cities including Manchester, Leeds, Glasgow and Edinburgh.