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Original poster

Armageddon- my WH Smith is closing

26 replies

FredaFox · 29/10/2023 16:17

I'm actually in amazement that my local WH Smith is closing, smiths seems to weather any storm and people regularly comment how they stay open when nobody shops there as they are so expensive.
Manchester City centre is closing, are any others?

Armageddon- my WH Smith is closing
OP posts:
BeverleyMacker · 30/10/2023 09:46

Ours has apparently been closed 2 days in a row :0 No warning or anything :/

BarbaraofSeville · 30/10/2023 09:51

The've probably come to the end of a lease that they aren't renewing.

Planesplanesplanes · 30/10/2023 09:53

I thought the high street stores all made a loss and only the train station and airport branches made money? It makes sense to close stores which are losing money.

Cornettoninja · 30/10/2023 09:55

Well……

it makes sense but they’re absolutely the cockroach of the high street so it’s disconcerting when one gives up the ghost.

Needmorelego · 30/10/2023 10:04

That doesn't surprise me.
The branches inside railway stations/airports are busy but any High Street branch I go in (big or small) there's always more tumbleweed than customers.
Edit : if they have a post office inside there is always a queue for that though.

purpleme12 · 30/10/2023 10:05

Ours has got post office in so presume it'll stay open because of that

MidnightOnceMore · 30/10/2023 10:05

Wow, sad times. I still miss Woolworths.

JustKen · 30/10/2023 10:39

Our local one is in a prosperous high street next to a well-used station in a suburb of SE London. But when I go in there the only people inside are visiting the post office concession upstairs. 😀

It is such a gloomy cave of a place. The woman who does the till has been there years and is always miserable. The stock is rubbish and overpriced . They seem obsessed with storage boxes for some reason, in bright colours? If it wasn't for the PO I wouldn't know why it was still open.

MrsSkylerWhite · 30/10/2023 10:40

Don’t think I’ve ever seen another customer in ours outside of the run up to Christmas when they have book deals.

Ifailed · 30/10/2023 10:46

I haven't been inside a WH Smith's this century.

Original poster
FredaFox · 30/10/2023 18:46

I mean I dont shop there but like a pp says they are the cockroach of the high street and this is Manchester City centre not a market town so it did surprise me

OP posts:
Glittertwins · 30/10/2023 18:57

purpleme12 · 30/10/2023 10:05

Ours has got post office in so presume it'll stay open because of that

Don't bank on that. Ours was and it still closed.

Bookridden · 30/10/2023 19:56

Depressing. Another nail in the coffin for printed media.

Bonjovispjs · 30/10/2023 20:39

Yeah, mine in North West London is closing in November.

BearSoFair · 30/10/2023 20:41

Cornettoninja · 30/10/2023 09:55

Well……

it makes sense but they’re absolutely the cockroach of the high street so it’s disconcerting when one gives up the ghost.

I worked for WHSmith 2015-19 and had a colleague who described them as exactly that - TK is that you?? 😂

megletthesecond · 30/10/2023 20:45

Ours has a post office. The fabulous, spacious post office was closed and they crammed it in a shoddy Smiths. I had the misfortune of having to go in there today. Smiths must be money laundering, hardly anything is purchased.

fluffypotatoes · 30/10/2023 20:46

megletthesecond · 30/10/2023 20:45

Ours has a post office. The fabulous, spacious post office was closed and they crammed it in a shoddy Smiths. I had the misfortune of having to go in there today. Smiths must be money laundering, hardly anything is purchased.

I'm convinced it's a front.

I did like that twitter page thar documented all their carpets.

BarbDwyerHair · 30/10/2023 20:48

I assumed they were running on drug money or something as they can't have made a profit for decades.

Chowtime · 30/10/2023 20:53

They messed up hugely - when Woolworths closed down they could have mopped up all that business but didn't.

It's sad they are closing though. I do love a stationery store but there's hardly any of them around anymore.

SeaPool · 30/10/2023 21:11

FredaFox · 30/10/2023 18:46

I mean I dont shop there but like a pp says they are the cockroach of the high street and this is Manchester City centre not a market town so it did surprise me

Edited

I think that's key though - nobody shops there and nobody has shopped there for at least a decade.

Every single thing they sell can be bought much more cheaply elsewhere without having to traipse over their threadbare carpet and stand at a till whilst the cashier offers you cut price chocolate, phone top up cards and a ream of money off vouchers.

RobinGet · 30/10/2023 21:21

I used to love WH Smith’s as a kid, it was brilliant for stationery and books. They still do nice stuff but it’s so overpriced. Only use it now when I’m at the train station and feel the need to buy a £37 sandwich and a £12 bottle of water.

JobStresserxo · 30/10/2023 21:25

My DD worked at Smiths until recently. Their shop did a large amount of trade, but a massive percentage of sales is scratchcards. They get a lot of serious gambling addicts who buy £50 of scratchcards a time. Quite sad as apparently a lot of these customers don't look like they have got money to throw away.

TheThingIsYeah · 30/10/2023 21:59

Planesplanesplanes · 30/10/2023 09:53

I thought the high street stores all made a loss and only the train station and airport branches made money? It makes sense to close stores which are losing money.

I heard as well that the airport ones are lucrative. Surely once the liquids ban gets lifted that's their business model up in smoke?

I haven't been in a High Street branch on years. Untidy and overpriced. And you always had to ask for a receipt. Do they used to do weird stuff like try and sell you a caramel bar at the till?

Ifonlyiweretaller · 30/10/2023 22:33

Ours is quite depressing, so unloved. The Post Office section is squirrelled away upstairs with the book dept. And has a sense of gloom about it. And no, I don't want a family bar of Galaxy or a phone top up thanks.

However I think their greetings cards are some of the best and always buy from there. I have a voucher with 25% off all cards purchased which is valid until next June! They were giving them away at the tills recently. So let's hope our branch remains open...

PickAChew · 30/10/2023 22:44

Funnily, after reading this, I watched the Thick if it episode where they were talking about WHS and was disappointed that the cockroach if the high street comment wasn't lifted from there, though the sentiment was the same.