WHSmith is closing numerous branches in the UK as it moves into the travel sector.
The retail brand runs over 1,100 stores, and has closed down eight stores since March 2023, including in Manchester and Bicester, England.
The stationer has also bid farewell to branches in Oban, Scotland, and Ramsgate, Kent.
It comes as the chain is set to expand, with 15 new branches opening at airports and train stations in 2024.
Here’s everything you need to know:
Which UK stores are closing down?
Locals in Crewe, Cheshire were disappointed when WHSmith shut down its branch in early 2023.
The location in the Victoria Shopping Centre welcomed visitors for the last time in March.
In the same month, the WHSmith store in Newcastle-under-Lyme, Staffordshire was shut down.
Then in August, a store closed in Bicester, Oxfordshire, and a further site in Manchester shuttered for good on December 2, 2023.
In 2024, so far WHSmith has closed seven shops, including in Bournemouth, this month.
Back in January, sites in Alfreton, Derbyshire, and Ramsgate, Kent were closed down.
In February, two further branches shut in Oban, Scotland, and Nantwich in South Cheshire.
This is the full list of stores and their closure dates:
- Crewe, Cheshire – March, 2023
- Newcastle-under-Lyme, Staffordshire – March, 2023
- Bicester, Oxfordshire – August, 2023
- Manchester – December 2, 2023
- Alfreton, Derbyshire – January, 2024
- Ramsgate, Kent – January, 2024
- Oban, Argyll and Bute, Scotland – February, 2024
- Nantwich, South Cheshire – February, 2024
- Margate, Kent – April 20, 2024
- Sale, Manchester – September 2024
- Bournemouth – October, 2024
In June 2023, WHSmith confirmed it would NOT be opening any more high street branches in a blow for shoppers.
It’s been announced that it’s Basingstoke branch will close down in early 2025.
The retailer said opening more high street stores would “just be a duplication”.
It added it intended to focus on expanding its portfolio outside the sector.
What about openings?
In January, WHSmith said that the new stores opening up would be found in airports and train stations.
It followed the high street favourite revealing that revenue across the business had risen by 8% over the 20 weeks to January 20, in comparison to the same period the previous year.
Yet its UK travel sales grew by 15% over the same time frame. That’s compared to a 3% fall in revenue for its high street portfolio.
When updating investors in late January, the retailer said it was due to open 15 stores in 2024, with an addition 15 after that “each year over the medium term.”
The retailer hasn’t revealed the locations where it is opening branches or when customers will be able to shop in the news stores.
It’s part of the company’s broader plans to open 110 new shops across the world.
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