WHSmith has bolstered its travel division with two deals in hospitals and motorway service stations.

The retailer has acquired store and café business UNS Hospitals and is to open franchised shops in all 29 RoadChef service areas following a successful pilot.

WHSmith has paid£19 million for UNS, which has 72 stores and eight Cafe Nuovo coffee shops in 62 hospitals. The bookseller and stationer already has eight of its own shops in seven hospitals.

Chief executive Kate Swann said: “The acquisition of UNS Hospitals creates further opportunities for our travel business. The hospital channel is underdeveloped and the combination of the experienced UNS management team and the WHSmith brand and offer will bring benefits for our customers.”

The UNS deal will be “earnings accretive” in 2008/09 and there will be exceptional integration costs of approximately£1 million in the current financial year.

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