Charlie Black / 29 January 2025 / Categories: Shops, Retail Parks, Travel Companies, Product and Brands, Brands, High Street Brands

WH Smith’s

New store in Leicester’s Fosse Park opens admist gloom

Have you noticed the big WHSmiths at Fosse Park Leicester has moved down to a new store next to Moss (the suit hire people) It’s a big new space that needs some customers, some love, some support as WHSmith CEO group chief executive Carl Cowling announces plans to sell it’s 500 store high street proposition.

It has been largely blamed on the new Labour government and Rachel Reeves national insurance hikes pushing the historic British retailer over the edge.

In the BBC it reads,

“Julie Palmer, partner at Begbies Traynor, said the latest update from the retailer "demonstrates why WH Smith has pulled the plug on its ailing UK High Street operations after more than 200 years."

"It would seem that Labour's fateful decision to hit businesses with an even greater tax bill may have been the final nail in the coffin for WH Smith,"

It was also announced in the Evening Standard (The Standard @thelondonstandard) this week WHSMITHS are set to

close 17 of it’s stores across the UK by May to focus on it’s travel and travel essentials offering which is currently producing 85% of its revenue.

I do still use WHSMITH obviously more than a lot of other people. I guess our need for stationary and school supplies has diminished and book tokens are a thing of the past.

My worry, if I happen to need a stapler, a compass, a sticky label, an ink cartridge, glue, now Wilkinson’s is no more where do i go? It used to be the Post Office (let’s not go there for the moment) ironically many post offices 195 in total are now housed in WHSmith stores. Bosses at WHSmith say the sale will not affect the post offices side of the business housed within them. Not sure how though if the stores are going.

WHSmith with its 233 year history has about 500 stores remaining across the UK. I fear by 2026 another long standing British company will be no more.

Here is the list of the 17 stores across the UK for the chop.

January, 2025

Bournemouth, Dorset

Luton, Bedfordshire

February, 2025

Basingstoke, Hampshire

Bournemouth (Winton), Dorset

Rhyl, Denbighshire

Bolton, Greater Manchester

March, 2025

Accrington, Lancashire

April, 2025

Halstead, Essex

Halesowen, West Midlands

Diss, Norfolk

Newport, South Wales

Haverhill, Suffolk

May, 2025

Stockton, County Durham

Oldham, Greater Manchester

TBC

Orpington, South London