WH Smith to sell off high street branches

[strawberrythiefleaf]

Was just reading about WH Smith selling off their fledgling high street stores while keeping their more profitable 'travel' stores (airports, train stations, etc).

For reference: news.sky.com/story/wh-smith-in-secret-talks-to-sell-historic-high-street-arm-13295955

The main reason why the travel stores are so profitable is because of how grossly overpriced most of their items are, and the fact that most people don't have any other convenient options in those travel locations.

I refuse to purchase most things from a travel WH Smith because of how expensive they are.

But is this the only way for a business to succeed now? To hike the prices up so much? What could a potential purchaser do to save the high street arm of the business?

I've already seen those magazines disappearing from WHS. I have 3 branches that I pass regularly and one occasionally and in the past few years it's gone from being able to get Burda magazine in 3 of them to just one of them - and that store in Central Newcastle has recently moved the magazines towards the back.

I'm more surprised to see Ryman is still operating! I always found their stuff more expensive than WHSmith. Loved Smiths in the 80s and 90s.

I agree with NotMariah. This is what shops being viciously undercut by non taxpayers like Amazon looks like.

I go into my local WHS a fair bit, for stationery, magazines for my mum, things for ds, presents, and their huge range of cards. But even 'a fair bit' isn't that much. And a lot of the time I'm the only person in there. So it's not a surprise. I wonder if they've held on this long because they own the sites? (I don't know if they do).

Fun faxes!!!! You’ve just taken me straight back to the 90’s. I LOVED those!

I am so sad at the demise of the high street. My local whsmith is where I grew up getting my school supplies. Took my kids there too for the annual pencil case fill up. Daughter made a mini WHSmith play shop at home.

supermarkets and Amazon just don’t have the same feel about them. I’m making a real effort to not do online shopping this year. Can’t put my finger on it but the whole thing just makes me feel really uncomfortable

I'd actually pay good money in a store that replicated being a 12 year old in 1996. Bang on the door stationary, fun faxes, a body shop carousel of overpoweringly sweet fragrances etc.

I actually think filofax is missing a trick not brining them back because funfax books were essentially screen free apps. Id happily take my DC shopping for a new one every few weeks if it means they're not glued to an iPad.

We were in WHS in Durham today. It felt cramped, grubby, untidy. Weird, random stuff. It's such a shame - I'm a stationeryphile 😁 and used to love WHS for notebooks, pens, lovely coloured bottles of ink, tins of protractors and compasses, paint, sketchbooks, Derwent pencils and hundreds of amazing magazines. Now it's just sad. I feckin' hate the Internet for what it's done to our high streets.

Our nearest store is now a WH Smith outlet. Even with discount everything still seems really expensive. Wonder if that will go too?

Shame as I had fond memories. It was the place to go in the 80s for new school stuff and pencil cases etc.

I wish they'd sell off the airport ones too. Speaking as someone who works in an airport it's such overpriced crap!

Oh dear. My local post office closed. The main post office in town closed then relocated inside WHS. There isn’t another one within walking distance to me. This is a town too, like a previous poster pointed out. Dh can drive past another shop with a post office inside it on his way to work when he is on a late shift but that’s about it for us.

WH Smiths shops are dreadful. It's no good saying it's just people aren't buying in shops anymore - Waterstones keep opening new sites, and their shops are beautiful, welcoming and have knowledgeable staff, in complete contrast to Smiths. Chains that do not invest in the customer experience fail. Look at Wilkos - their customers didn't go anywhere, Home Bargains /BM Bargains took over their customers because their shops are so much nicer

Good, our one is scruffy, chaotic and expensive and they try and flog you chocolate at the till.

That's my nearest. It's been all of those things forever. Even more since they moved the post office into the dungeon. I go to Newton Hall if I need a post office becausee that one is marginally less inaccessible and unhelpful, though you have to queue twice if you want a loaf of bread as well!

I'm not one bit surprised about this. The shops are awful and have been so for a very long time. Soulless, badly lit, very few staff. I used to love WH Smith as a child, but I think they're very sad looking now.

Even the sell service tills try to up sell.

If you have access to the internet, would it be possible to buy it there?
Or maybe the magazine offers a subscription service, then you'd get it delivered, and likely would work out cheaper ... maybe twelve issues for the price of ten?

Just a thought.

I think that's part of the reason sales of magazines are low. Instead of buying it from a shop people subscribe (which is good as it keeps sales up).
But.....you can't subscribe to something if you don't know it exists and if you don't have the opportunity to see it on a shop shelf and have it catch your eye you will never discover it's existence.
I get adverts for The Phoenix comic frequently on Facebook - advertising their subscription.
The comments on the ad has a lot of "what if I subscribe for several issues but my kid doesn't like it" or "is this a legit comic" and I always think that if they want to try it why don't they just go and buy a copy off the shelf in WHSmith who actually do sell it. But WHSmith's problem is neglecting the magazine section - the magazines are often messy, all cramped up and now seem to be being shoved into the dark back sections of the shops.
If people don't have Facebook and don't see the ads but also don't have a good magazine selection at a local WHSmith - they will simply not know The Phoenix (and many more comics and magazines) even exist in the first place.

It will close, Post Office never to be seen again. Same thing happened to a WHS near me, which had a huge PO inside. Both just gone, signs in the window before the new tenant moved in directed people to the nearest (much smaller) PO's.

Our high street WHS is closing. No suprise really. Dark and chaotic stock. I used to buy stationary when my children were at school but it was expensive compared to other shops
They were once the only place to buy specialised magazines, used to go once in a while to buy a chicken keeper magazine for Mil😀
The internet has replaced WHS usp I think.
Hated the chocolate upsell at the till too. Who thought that was a good idea?

The thing that bugs me about the stationery is it's all on "3 for 2" offers, permanently, when I just want to buy one item. Then I feel totally ripped off or manipulated into buying things I don't need - very poor service.

Good they're ripping b@stards!
£6 for a pen just a normal black biro shitty pen; even dick Turpin wore a mask 😠

I do use my local one as I still like magazines. Sometimes I just want stuff instantly so will buy a book, folder etc from there.

It's sad but that type of shop simply is not needed anymore.

I was just about to say this!

Yeah, there's normally a much cheaper option for snacks even within an airport. WH Smith was literally twice the price of Superdrug next door for a bottle of water, last time I went. The same bottle.