Many many businesses DEAD

  • Thread starter Thread starter AGinAg (37)
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Looks like it may finally be the end of the line for WHSmith

www.theguardian.com

WH Smith considers sale of high street business including more than 500 stores

Retailer says it plans to explore ‘strategic options’ for the future of ‘cash generative’ arm of the company
www.theguardian.com www.theguardian.com

Like most people I'm quite surprised they lasted as long as they did, outside their one lucrative niche as an overpriced necessity vendor in train stations.
 
Yeah their evil ways of ripping off hospital visitors and prisoners have been keeping them afloat this far.
 
VoR said:
Looks like it may finally be the end of the line for WHSmith

www.theguardian.com

WH Smith considers sale of high street business including more than 500 stores

Retailer says it plans to explore ‘strategic options’ for the future of ‘cash generative’ arm of the company
www.theguardian.com www.theguardian.com

Like most people I'm quite surprised they lasted as long as they did, outside their one lucrative niche as an overpriced necessity vendor in train stations.
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That's interesting. One of their local branches here seems to be closed about a third of the time with 'staff shortages' on the door, and then when we were in Swansea on Tuesday, their main branch was closed for seemingly no reason. It did make me wonder if something was up, but I also thought they managed to weather the storm a few years back, and that their station and hospital stores kept them afloat. Then there is how the Post Office seems to be in a branch in so many places now, and how Toys R Us were back in with them. It seemed to me they must be making it work somehow.

Can't say I'm sorry. I actively dislike shopping there now.
 
It would presumably be quite a blow to the physical publishing industry if they went bust. I will quite frequently impulse-buy a book from them before a flight or a long rail journey. Other than a very limited selection in some supermarkets, Waterstones would be pretty much it in terms of high street if WHSmith went down, no?
 
We've got a good selection of indie bookstores here, including a few decent small neighbourhood ones. I think most cities tend to have similar don't they? But yes, I guess that would leave only Waterstones on the high street in most smaller towns and cities, as well as the supermarkets. Well, plus whatever discount selection The Works is selling.

I'd genuinely only miss WHSmith as a quicker way of buying a newspaper or a magazine when I'm in town than going into a Tesco or Sainsbury's. Genuinely don't remember the last time I bought or even looked at anything else in there. Such tired, unpleasant shops.
 
We still have some good Foyles in London, and lots of Waterstones. Not sure about elsewhere.

Since Paperchase and Clintons went under, I’ve used WH Smith for greetings cards for older relatives, as most of the alternatives around are generally inappropriate for that demographic. I don’t want to order online and not hand write the note. It’s so impersonal, and if you order one to be sent to yourself, it’s just an added cost and not good for last minute purchases.

John Lewis however remains generally the best for birthday cards. RIP Paperchase. I’m still in mourning.
 
We have a Foyles as well, but they only have a few outside London, don't they? And they are owned by Waterstones anyway.
 
lolly said:
Such tired, unpleasant shops.
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This. They just feel like they've not been touched since the early 90s. Very anachronistic and fucking awful shopping experience. I can't remember the last time I went in one other than the obligatory airport/ train station ones.

We've just lost our main independent book shop, though we have a fairly big Waterstone's, which is pleasant enough. I tend to browse more than buy there, though.
 
Essentially, I still begrudge WHSmith surviving when Borders failed. Much nicer shops, and the best range of magazines I've seen unless you were looking really specialist. And even then, there was a chance.
 
I was just about to say I miss Borders! The Bmth one was such a great shop.
 
And on the subject of Waterstones, I do think for a few years now, after losing their way for a while, they have managed to create shops that are pleasant places to spend time in. You get the impression that real thought has gone in to the experience of shopping, what books they are stocking and how they are doing so. Our main branch is in a 90s shopping centre and large, but pretty dull. I've noticed though in a lot of places they are in gorgeous old buildings and they really work with the architecture to make them places where you actually choose to spend time, rather than the soulless, sterile functionality of WHSmith.
 
The Waterstones here is quite small but still quite nice. I went to the Southampton one over the weekend and although it’s bigger, the layout was chaotic and it just felt too manic and busy.
 
We went to Southampton a couple of months ago and I don't remember thinking anything particularly about their branch. Off the top of my head, my favourite branches are Cardiff, Swansea, Reading, Oxford, Cheltenham, Gloucester and Bath. And that's all stores where they have taken on lovely old buildings and have worked with multiple floors, rooms, corridors and nooks and crannies, rather than new builds where they essentially have started with an empty rectangle.
 
lolly said:
And on the subject of Waterstones, I do think for a few years now, after losing their way for a while, they have managed to create shops that are pleasant places to spend time in. You get the impression that real thought has gone in to the experience of shopping, what books they are stocking and how they are doing so. Our main branch is in a 90s shopping centre and large, but pretty dull. I've noticed though in a lot of places they are in gorgeous old buildings and they really work with the architecture to make them places where you actually choose to spend time, rather than the soulless, sterile functionality of WHSmith.
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Ours has a (seemingly delightful) café in it and, you're right, it feels like real thought has gone into it. It always used to make me wonder how HMV got that aspect so wrong when they were essentially the same brand. (Though to be fair, HMV has gotten even worse since it's been taken over, so...)
 
Waterstones is a nice experience but unfortunately the owner is a JK Rowling-supporting TERF.

the article doesn't actually say the shops will close, no? in fact: "WH Smith says its high street business is successful, with £452m of revenue in 2024 and £32m of profit." so presumably any buyer would buy to keep the shops open/grow the business, not to shut down.
 
VoR said:
It would presumably be quite a blow to the physical publishing industry if they went bust. I will quite frequently impulse-buy a book from them before a flight or a long rail journey. Other than a very limited selection in some supermarkets, Waterstones would be pretty much it in terms of high street if WHSmith went down, no?
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I think you're mixing up what's happening. They're talking about selling the high street stores, the "travel" stores (i.e. the ones in train stations and airports) would not be part of sale, so those impulse buys at travel hubs would still happen. Unless you really are planning ahead and buying from WHSmith days in advance of going on a plane...

And as Jark says, putting something for sale doesn't mean they'll be closed.
 
Not forgetting all those WHSmiths in motorway service stations, which must make a fortune by selling water for £9.99 or whatever ridiculous price it is these days.
 
I bought a couple of jigsaws from WH Smith days before the COVID lockdown, thinking we wouldn’t be able to work from home and might be locked up for 4-6 weeks.

Never opened them :(
 
Jark said:
Waterstones is a nice experience but unfortunately the owner is a JK Rowling-supporting TERF.

the article doesn't actually say the shops will close, no? in fact: "WH Smith says its high street business is successful, with £452m of revenue in 2024 and £32m of profit." so presumably any buyer would buy to keep the shops open/grow the business, not to shut down.
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Yeah, I don't shop there any more and that's why. Actively promoting terf bullshit in store and firing someone for objecting was the end of them for me.
 
I didn't realise that. OH WELL, another one BITES THE DUST :(
 
I feel less bad about only ever browsing and using their toilet now.
 
I cant remember the last time I went into a WH Smiths other than airports/train stations and then I'll shoplift.

MAYBE ITS MY FAULT.
 
ZenGiraffe said:
Is stealing something after you've gone through customs technically PIRACY!? :disco:
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I've never thought of it that way but I guess it is. If not, swiping cans off the drinks trolley on budget flights deffos is. YARRR.
 
Ellie said:
RIP Paperchase. I’m still in mourning.
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I used to do almost all my card shopping at Paperchase. I was in Kings Cross station at the weekend, and the former Paperchase there has been taken over by something called Postmark, which felt like the exact same vibe, just with a different name.

Looks like there are a few about, though it appears it originated in Balham in 2004, so not quite the Paperchase successor I thought it was the other day :D
 
What a ZIPPY REBRAND. Rearranging deck chairs on the Titanic springs to mind.
 
WH SMith has lasted longer than I thought to be fair. Although alot of them have THE POST OFFICE in them now
 
Halli said:
WH SMith has lasted longer than I thought to be fair. Although alot of them have THE POST OFFICE in them now
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Bristol and Bath both have their main central post offices inside a branch. Although in Bristol the shopping centre it is in is due to be demolished soon anyway. And most small towns around these parts at least have their only branches inside them.

I assume that's part of the deal, or else there will be a lot of unhappy pensioners.
 
Iguana said:
Why bother rebranding from one name with two initials and a surname, to a different two initials and a surname?
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Well, surely because WH Smith is retaining the rights to the brand for their successful (and separate) airport/ travel arm. So part of the deal would have been to rebrand the WH Smiths high street shops.
 
Sheena said:
Well, surely because WH Smith is retaining the rights to the brand for their successful (and separate) airport/ travel arm. So part of the deal would have been to rebrand the WH Smiths high street shops.
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Well, yes - but why not rebrand to something catchy like

1743161903535.jpeg
 
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