WHSmith update as fate of 233 year old high street chain with 500 shops to be ‘decided within days’
A MAJOR update has been issued on the sale of hundreds of WHSmith stores.
The retail group will reportedly announce the fate of the 500 high street stores “as early as next week”.
It is set to confirm that it has reached a deal with either Alteri Investors or Modella Capital, Sky News reports.
Insiders told the publication the process was “too close to call” with both bidders understood to be in close contention for the shops.
Modella Capital is the firm that bought troubled The Original Factory Shop and has shown interest in bidding for Lakeland.
It comes after WHSmith said it was looking at offloading 500 high street stores in January.
Around 5,000 people are employed across the high street shops.
A WHSmith spokeswoman confirmed to The Sun in January the retail group was “exploring potential strategic options for this profitable and cash generative part of the group, including a possible sale”.
WHSmith is increasingly looking to move away from the high street and focus its attention on its travel arm, which operates stores out of airports and train stations.
The stationer said last January it wanted to open 15 new shops in airports, railway stations and hospitals before the end of 2024.
This formed part of wider plans to open 110 new branches worldwide.
It also said in November it will close up to 20 stores each year over the next three years, the vast majority of which are on the high street.
At the end of this January, WHSmith’s results for the 21 week period to January 25, 2025, revealed its travel stores were trading well, with revenue across North America stores up 3% like-for-like.
Carl Cowling, group chief executive, said the retail group had won a contract to open eight stores at Orlando airport and four more at Portland airport.
He added: “We now have a new store pipeline of c.60 stores in North America.
“The Group is in a strong position, and while there is some economic uncertainty, we are confident of another year of good growth in 2025.”
OTHER WHSMITH NEWS
The retailer has closed a swathe of UK stores in recent months with plans to close 10 more.
Branches have already closed in Cambrigeshire, Lancashire, Dorset and Hampshire.
But more will pull down their shutters over the coming months. these are the stores that are closing:
- Halstead, Essex – April
- Halesowen, West Midlands – April
- Diss, Norfolk – April
- Newport, Wales – April
- Haverhill, Suffolk – April 26
- Woolwich, London – April
- Stockton, County Durham – May
- Oldham, Greater Manchester – May
- Bedford – July
- Orpington, Greater London – no closure date confirmed
Some of the WHSmith branches earmarked to shut over the coming months have launched closing down sales to shift remaining stock.
Pictures on Facebook show the Halesowen store is offering 30% off on books and stationery.
Meanwhile, the Stockton shop has also launched a 30% off clearance sale on a host of products.
WHSmith stores that have already closed in 2025
- Bournemouth Old Christchurch Road, Dorset – January 18
- Luton, Bedfordshire – January 18
- March, Cambridgeshire – January 25
- Basingstoke, Hampshire – February 1
- Long Eaton – February 1
- Newtown, Powys – February 15
- Winton branch in Bournemouth, Dorset – February 15
- Rhyl, Denbighshire – February 15
- Bolton, Greater Manchester – February 15
- Accrington, Lancashire – March 15
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