WHSmith says goodbye to the high street after 200 years as rebranding of shops will be finished ‘within weeks'

Scottish Sun

02-07-2025

Plus, find out the history of WHSmith over the last 200 years
END OF AN ERA WHSmith says goodbye to the high street after 200 years as rebranding of shops will be finished 'within weeks'
WHSMITH will be disappearing from the high street in a matter of weeks as its new owner pushes forward with plans to rebrand it to TGJones.
The stationery retailer has been a staple of the British high street for 200 years but has struggled in recent years.
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The familiar WHSmith branding will soon be disappearing from the high street
Credit: PA
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The company was known as WH Smith & Son from 1846 after William Henry Smith took over
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WHSmith's branding has changed over the years but it is famous for its iconic blue
Credit: News Group Newspapers Ltd
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The stores could look very different after the rebranding to TGJones is complete
Credit: Alamy
Hobbycraft owner Modella Capital agreed a deal to take over the chain's troubled high street arm back in March.
As part of the deal, all 464 remaining high street stores are rebranding to TGJones.
The sale has now officially completed and the WHSmith website has rebranded, while all stores are listed on Google as TGJones.
A spokesperson for Modella told The Sun: "TG Jones is now a stand-alone business, comprising 464 stores on high streets, shopping centres and retail parks across the UK and also online, with store fascias being replaced with this branding in the coming weeks.
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"This is a very positive milestone in the history of this business and an exciting moment for TGJones and its employees. A full transition to the new TGJones brand is likely to take some time.
"The management of TGJones is now defining its strategy for the business, including introducing new partnerships and offerings and redefining the look and feel of TGJones stores."
The Sun understands the company is currently in the process of changing the signage at its stores across the country.
Some shoppers have already spotted signs going up in stores reading "Thank you for shopping at TGJones".
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Modella put in planning applications to local councils to change the signage on its stores last month.
Shoppers have also started receiving emails from TGJones.
WHSmith sells 500 UK shops
One confused customer wrote on social media: "I got an email from tg Jones thinking how? then realised its w.h smith's new name, crazy."
Another added: "i keep getting emails from someone called TG Jones and it was apparently a company that has changed its name, it was failing to tell me what company… just had another one and it's whsmith??? WHAT."
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TGJones chief executive Sean Toal said: "We are very excited by the potential of the TGJones business. With the committed and talented team we have in place, and with supportive owners, we can build on our heritage, while innovating and delivering a refreshed and compelling offering for our customers."
History of WHSmith
The rebranding means the WHSmith name will be disappearing from the high street for good.
WHSmith's travel stores will still remain in airports, hospitals, railway stations and motorway service areas as these have not been taken over by Modella.
The first WHSmith store was opened back in 1792 was opened by Henry Walton Smith and his wife Anna.
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It was located in Little Grosvenor Street, London and was initially a news vendor.
When Henry and Anna died, the business was taken over by their youngest son William Henry Smith.
He renamed the business WH Smith & Son in 1846.
The business began expanding around this time and opened its first railway news stand at Euston Station in 1848.
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It opened its first depots two years later in Birmingham, Manchester and Liverpool.
WH Smith & Son continued to be passed down by the family before becoming a limited company in 1928, with all shares owned by the third Viscount.
The company became a public limited business in 1948, with staff and members of the public taking shares.
The business expanded hugely between the 1970s and 1990s, and during this time changed its name to simply WHSmith.
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The last member of the Smith family left the board in 1996.
Over the years, the brand has sold a variety of products including everything from vinyl records to DVDs and computer games.
But it has always been best known for its wide variety of books, stationery and sweets.
In more recent years, WHSmith has struggled on the high street - although its travel sales have surged.
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The company confirmed in January it would sell off its high street business.
Modella then snapped up WHSmith's high street stores after an auction process.
Stores closing
A number of WHSmith stores shut this year ahead of the rebrand.
Most recently the retailer's Bedford site closed on July 5.
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The store in the Frenchgate Centre in Doncaster closed on May 31, while the Stockton branch also shut on May 17.
Branches in Halstead and Woolwich shut on April 12, and Halesowen and Diss followed on April 19.
Just a week later, stores in Newport and Haverhill also pulled down the shutters.