All WHSmith articles
WHSmith is the UK’s leading specialist multiple newsagent, a category covering books, greeting cards, stationery, newspapers, magazines, confectionary and more. Founded in 1792 by Henry Walton Smith and his wife Anna as a news vendor in London, the company was the first retail chain in the world. The business now trades through over 1,600 outlets, including nearly 450 overseas stores. Operations are divided into two divisions by location type: high street and travel.
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Retail Navigator AnalysisWHSmith (Strategy)
WHSmith is set to significantly expand its food offering in 2025. Building on the success of its first own-label food-to-go range, the retailer plans to introduce a new bakery range under the Smith’s Family Kitchen brand and roll out its Smith’s Kitchen café format to more stores.
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InterviewQ&A: THG Nutrition chief executive Neil Mistry explains why the Myprotein rebrand is the solution to declining sales
Retail Week speaks to THG Nutrition’s chief executive Neil Mistry about the recent Myprotein rebrand, striking retail partnerships with giants like WHSmith and Holland & Barrett, and how he’s trying to turn around declining sales.
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NewsWHSmith chief executive sees ‘exciting opportunities’ in American airports and UK hospitals
WHSmith chief executive Carl Cowling said he sees “exciting opportunities” for growth across North American airports and UK hospitals, following the retailer’s preliminary results for the year to August 31.
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Retail Navigator AnalysisWHSmith (Financials)
WHSmith recorded a 7% rise in group sales to £1,918m for the year ended 31 August 2024 (FY2024). Its Travel division accounted for over 76% of group revenue, recording growth across all regions, while sales in its UK High Street division fell 4% year-on-year to £452m, “in line with expectations”.
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NewsWHSmith profits and revenues soar as travel business takes off
WHSmith has reported increases in profits and revenues, driven by strong performances by its travel businesses in the UK and around the globe.
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NewsJohn Lewis adds buy now, pay later option with Klarna
Department store group John Lewis is to offer online customers a buy now, pay later payment option after teaming up with financial services provider Klarna.
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NewsWHSmith is relaunching vinyl in its high street stores after 30-year absence
WHSmith is bringing vinyl back into 80 of its high street stores across the UK following “growing customer demand” for the product.
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InterviewQ&A: WHSmith’s managing director of UK travel is dialling up its offer to reach new heights
Global travel and high street retailer WHSmith has just come out of a peak summer season that saw total travel revenue grow 10%. Retail Week speaks to WHSmith managing director of UK travel Andrew Harrison about a successful summer, expanding categories and the all-important Christmas season.
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NewsWHSmith has revealed a new tranche of Toys R Us locations ahead of Christmas
WHSmith is set to extend its tie-up with Toys R Us into more stores in time for retail’s peak trading period.
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NewsWHSmith has delivered strong growth in travel driven by the peak summer season
WHSmith has recorded a rise in revenue, mainly driven by travel sales during the peak summer period and new ranges.
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NewsWHSmith unveils its new Smith’s Kitchen format to take a bite out of the food-to-go market
WHSmith has today launched its brand new Smith’s Kitchen store format from its UK travel business.
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NewsAirport retailers could see a boost in sales if global IT outage continues
Retailers operating in airports could end up receiving a boost in sales and footfall if the IT outage causing havoc around the world continues.
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AnalysisRetail cabinet: What would government look like if retailers ran the country?
As the country casts its votes in the general election, Retail Week imagines what a cabinet made up of bold and capable retail leaders might look like
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AnalysisHow Ikea, WHSmith and Decathlon are going green to win shopper spend
Sustainability has rocketed up the consumer agenda in recent years. Exclusive research from Retail Week explores the sustainability strategies that really matter to shoppers, and the retailers getting it right.
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AnalysisIdeal world: What retail would look like in the world’s greatest airport departure lounge
2024 is a record year for travel, with more people than ever before heading to the airport and arriving there earlier too.
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NewsWHSmith ‘well positioned’ for summer as travel business booms
WHSmith has maintained its guidance and said it is “well positioned” ahead of the peak summer trading period as it continues to take steps towards being a “one-stop shop” for travel essentials.
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NewsWHSmith launches first own-brand food range in UK travel stores
WHSmith has launched its first ever own-brand food-to-go range, available in more than 300 of its UK travel stores.
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NewsRevealed: The new Toys R Us locations opening in WHSmith this summer
Retail Week can exclusively unveil the first 17 locations for a new wave of Toys R Us shop-in-shops in WHSmith branches.
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OpinionWHSmith's Sean Toal: ‘We’re proud to buck trend by investing in high streets with Toys R Us partnership’
WHSmith high street managing director Sean Toal writes exclusively for Retail Week on the expansion of its Toys R Us in-store partnership and how it represents the retailer’s commitment to being the ‘hub of the high street’
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Opinion‘WHSmith, JD Sports and Primark can successfully target a slice of American retail pie’
Retailers from this side of the pond have frequently come a cropper when attempting to expand in the US, but the signs look good for JD Sports, Primark and WHSmith judging by the retailers’ updates this week, believes George MacDonald