WHSmith shutting beloved branch TODAY as brand to disappear off high street forever

The Sun

2 days ago

WHSMITH is shutting a beloved branch today ahead of the brand disappearing off the high street forever.
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It had been a long-standing part of Doncaster's high street, having opened when the Frenchgate was first built in 1968.
Locals have branded the move as a "disgrace" as they prepare for the loss of the store.
One upset shopper said: "There will be no point in visiting the Frenchgate soon."
While another customer said: "So sad I've just walked past WHSmith and it's ceases trading today that's going to leave a big hole in the Frenchgate centre."
And a third added: "Town might as well shut down hardly anywhere open so sad."
post office which also operated within the store has also closed.
It comes after WHSmith agreed to sell 500 shops in a £76million deal.
Retail investor Modella Capital snapped up the portfolio, with the stores eventually set to rebranded as TGJones.
Around 5,000 people are employed across the high street shops.
WHSmith has over 580 travel stores across airports, hospitals, railway stations and motorway service areas which will continue to live on.
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Last January, the stationer said it wanted to open 15 new shops in airports, railway stations and hospitals before the end of 2024.
The brand has already shuttered up to eight stores popular high street locations, including Halstead in Essex, and Woolwich in London.
A branch in Bedford, Bedfordshire will close on July 5.
As for Doncaster locals, it will not be the first time they had to wave goodbye to a popular brand.
Ann Summers in Doncaster city centre closed back in December and M&S will close a branch in Baxtergate will close this summer.
TROUBLE ON THE HIGH STREET
It comes amid a tricky period for the retail sector, with consumers having less cash in their wallet to spend at the tills.
Hikes to National Insurance contributions, imposed in April, have also added to business costs.
Poundland will close three stores across Filton Abbeywood, London and the Isle of Wight in the coming weeks.
The brand has already shut up to 11 stores, and up to 200 could close as part of its rescue deal.
Bidding for the business started last week.
A source told The Sunday Times that Poundland would be priced at "effectively a pound".
Gordon Brothers, the ex-owner of Laura Ashley, and Homebase owner Hilco are reported to be in a two way race to win the chain.
A decision on who the preferred bidder is could be announced in the coming days.
Polish retail giant Pepco said it expects the sale of Poundland to complete by September.
Pepco previously said it was looking at"all strategic options" to separate Poundland from its brand.
The Polish group said it might turn its focus to its more profitable businesses in Europe.
New Look began ramping up its store closure programme prior top April's National Insurance hike.
Approximately a quarter of the retailer's 364 stores are at risk when their leases expire.
This equates to about 91 stores, with a significant impact on it's 8,000 strong workforce.
The company has restructured its store estate twice in the past six years, reducing its portfolio from around 600 UK stores in 2018.
RETAIL PAIN IN 2025
The British Retail Consortium has predicted that the Treasury's hike to employer NICs will cost the retail sector £2.3billion.
Research by the British Chambers of Commerce shows that more than half of companies plan to raise prices by early April.
A survey of more than 4,800 firms found that 55% expect prices to increase in the next three months, up from 39% in a similar poll conducted in the latter half of 2024.
Three-quarters of companies cited the cost of employing people as their primary financial pressure.
The Centre for Retail Research (CRR) has also warned that around 17,350 retail sites are expected to shut down this year.
It comes on the back of a tough 2024 when 13,000 shops closed their doors for good, already a 28% increase on the previous year.
Professor Joshua Bamfield, director of the CRR said: "The results for 2024 show that although the outcomes for store closures overall were not as poor as in either 2020 or 2022, they are still disconcerting, with worse set to come in 2025."
Professor Bamfield has also warned of a bleak outlook for 2025, predicting that as many as 202,000 jobs could be lost in the sector.
"By increasing both the costs of running stores and the costs on each consumer's household it is highly likely that we will see retail job losses eclipse the height of the pandemic in 2020."