End of WH Smith

Farewell to a High Street Staple

So, after 233 years, is WH Smith set to disappear from the UK High Street? I personally cannot remember walking down many high streets without seeing a “Smiths”. As a kid growing up, visiting Smiths and Woolworths for various things was part and parcel of life. Even when working in central London, I would often avoid Boots and go to Smiths for my newspaper and lunch meal deal.

According to this information, they are not vanishing forever. All 480 high street stores have supposedly been sold to Modela Capital, so it is likely the name will change. But for me, that’s the crux of it. WH Smith has been around for 233 years. It’s a simple logo that almost everyone in the UK knows. Yes, there are some things I will not miss, like someone trying to sell you an oversized bar of chocolate when all you wanted was a packet of Pickled Onion Monster Munch. But how many of us used them daily, or especially at an airport when flying? However, that’s a separate aspect; WH Smith’s travel division – which reportedly makes up 75% of its revenue and 85% of its trading profit – is apparently not included in this supposed sale. The suggestion is they will become TG Jones. It just doesn’t sound the same.

Yet another nail in the coffin of UK business history. The UK High Street is changing at a rapid pace. Of course, the traditional high street mix of butchers, newsagents, bakers, and laundrettes is diminishing. A part of UK history seems to fade each time I read news like this.

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