WH Smith: One of the UK's leading retailers

[michelle@imutual]

WH Smith



WHSmith is one of the UK's leading retailers and aims to be its most popular bookseller, stationer and newsagent. They have over 500 High Street stores, over 120 stores at airports, train stations and motorway service areas and WHSmith.co.uk serves customers online 24 hours a day.

High Street stores sell a wide range of newspapers, magazines, stationery, books and entertainment products. Travel stores focus on a tailored range of newspapers, magazines, books and confectionery to meet the needs of traveling customers.

WHSmith.co.uk offers customers over 2 million books, over 250,000 entertainment titles and over 1,000 stationery and gifting products.

See reward offer for WH Smith

[Boro Boy]

Good news that Michelle/Richard have managed to secure a deal with this regular high street retailer...

[blythburgh]

That I have not bought from for years. There is a branch in Southwold were we go regularly but even so not been inside their shop in years and never online.

The trouble is I can get what I want at cut price shops or charity shops (cards) or local independent shops so no need to waste time going in

[Richard Frost]

That I have not bought from for years. There is a branch in Southwold were we go regularly but even so not been inside their shop in years and never online.

Tend to agree. last time I went there must be 7-8 years ago in Maidstone. Found the layout confusing and jumbled and very untidy. I did buy a coffee at one of their motorway outlets more recently. It was vastly overpriced, I forgave them for that as it is par for the course in motorway services.

[blythburgh]

I can see them closing many town shops and keeping open places like train stations. But they must be confident to have bought a largish shop (for the town) at such a huge price as the one in Southwold. Eye watering prices for shops there these days. And the business rates are huge as well. The last increase which was put on hold or something would have meant the local independent butcher would have to find another £12,000 a year on top of his existing rates. Goodness only knows how much the larger W H Smith would have to find if the rates come into force. And I never see anyone coming in or out there either.

[pabenny]

I can see them closing many town shops and keeping open places like train stations...

This has been their strategy for some years now. And in fact it's where they began. They very quickly obtained a de facto monopoly as station bookstalls and have retained that ever since, now expanded with airports, motorway services, etc.

As for the high street stores or online business, I have also not bought from either for years.

[Chadwick]

I think they must be on the list of "endangered high street breeds". I do occasionally use ours in town, but only when I happen to be there and haven't planned ahead and got what I want elsewhere (cheaper or better quality). I wouldn't make a trip to town with the specific aim of visiting Smiths - it's my fallback.

Of course, when they eventually shut the shop, I won't have my fallback, or anywhere to read the magazines while I wait for my wife, and that will be the consequence of my infrequent patronage.

[pabenny]

endangered high street breeds

I’m not so sure. WHS responded early to the shift online - they’re credited with making the first online sale in the UK, they got out of music 20 years ago and cut back significantly on books.

They now make over half of their profit from their travel stores. And in the high street, much of their range today is lower-value immediate-gratification items that are less vulnerable to online. To judge from those in my area, they’ve ‘right-sized’ their stores and run them on very low staffing. I see WHS as a surivior.

[Boro Boy]

endangered high street breeds

I’m not so sure. WHS responded early to the shift online - they’re credited with making the first online sale in the UK, they got out of music 20 years ago and cut back significantly on books.

They now make over half of their profit from their travel stores. And in the high street, much of their range today is lower-value immediate-gratification items that are less vulnerable to online. To judge from those in my area, they’ve ‘right-sized’ their stores and run them on very low staffing. I see WHS as a surivior.

Time will tell but I hope you are right...

[blythburgh]

I also hope pabenny is right. Our main post office has closed and is now in an area of W.H. Smith. Not used it or the shop since this happened so no idea how well it works.

If I need a post office I go to a sub post office where I know I am helping to keep a small village shop going.