29-04-2025
Looking back at WH Smith as we say goodbye to the famous name
With the sad news that the name WH Smith is to disappear from the high street, we're looking back at the iconic stationery shop and what it has meant to us.
Four-year-old Joshua Dent with the WH Smith vouchers he received for winning a writing competition (Image: Richard English) The move comes after the firm agreed to sell its shops to Hobbycraft owner Modella Capital. The new owner has said it will keep the Post Office outlets that operate in many branches, but will rebrand the chain as TGJones.
Christopher Cooper won a £20 voucher for WH Smith after coming runner up in a national painting competition run by the Knights of St Columba (Image: Newsquest) The WH Smith name is not being sold and will still be used at the airport, railway station and hospital outlets that are not for sale.
WH Smith Barrow store manager Marc Williams visits Alfred Barrow School to help launch a three-year reward initiative worth £12,000 (Image: Newsquest) Modella Capital will take over 480 stores in retail parks, shopping centres and on high streets including 5,000 staff.
James Prescott, 15, from Parkview School was on work experience at WH Smith (Image: Newsquest) The new owner said it would be 'business as usual' while it worked on making changes , including adding new ranges, while keeping the Toys 'R' Us concessions and the 195 Post Office counters.
Allanah Smith won £30 to spend at WH Smith and £100 to spend for her school at Ottakar's in an Evening Mail centenary Christmas card competition (Image: Newsquest) It said it had chosen the same TGJones because it carried 'the same sense of family' as WH Smith, which it described as an 'iconic' retail business.
Launch of the Rugby League Annual 2008 at WH Smith in Whitehaven (Image: Newsquest) The company was formed by Henry Walton Smith and his wife Anna in 1792 as a news vendor in London. It remained under the ownership of the Smith family for many years and saw large-scale expansion during the 1970s as the company began to diversify into other markets.
Local businesses joined in the campaign to stop Joe Skelly, the manager of WH Smith (back centre) leaving his position for pastures new (Image: Newsquest) Following a rejected private equity takeover in 2004, it began to focus on its core retail business. It was responsible for the creation of the ISBN book identifier. In recent years, the chain has been challenged by budget high street shops and supermarkets as well as online retailers.
sThe WH Smith & Son shop on English Street near the Lowther Arcade, Carlisle, dated 1907 (Image: Newsquest)
It developed a reputation for being rundown and shabby, culminating in a popular social media account WHS_Carpet, which mocked the poor state of its floor coverings. WH Smith group chief executive Carl Cowling said the £76m sale was 'a pivotal moment' for the company, which would now focus exclusively on the travel-related side of the business. 'High street is a good business; it is profitable and cash generative with an experienced and high-performing management team,' he said. 'However, given our rapid international growth, now is the right time for a new owner to take the high street business forward.' The travel division operates more than 1,200 stores in 32 countries.
