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Home Retail Group (HRG), which owns Argos and Homebase, has said it will significantly cut this year's dividend.

The news came as .

At Argos, like-for-like sales - which strip out the effect of store openings - were down 8.8% in the last 18 weeks of 2011.

At DIY chain Homebase, weak demand for big ticket items dragged like-for-like sales down 2.6% - steeper than the 1.3% rate recorded over the last 44 weeks.

Catalogue sales specialist Argos - which accounts for 80% of HRG's total sales - has been hit by the squeeze from rising food and energy prices on its lower-income customers, who have been cutting back on electronics purchases in particular.

Profit margins at Argos were also eroded by a further half-percentage point, mainly due to higher delivery costs and spending on marketing.

The firm said there would be a number of store closures this year, taking its total number of Argos outlets down from the current 759 to below 751.

Profit margins at Homebase were more robust, rising a quarter percentage point, the firm said.

"In a trading environment that has been both volatile and demanding, Homebase has again seen more resilient sales," said HRG chief executive Terry Duddy.

Shares in HRG fell 5.1% in morning trading in London on Thursday following the announcement. Shares have fallen more than 60% since February last year.

The latest disappointing sales data follows a 71% fall in half-year profits reported last year.