WH Smith voted worst shop on the high street

WH Smith has been voted the worst retailer on the UK high street in a survey of more than 10,000 consumers.

It is the eighth year in a row that the store has come in the bottom two of the Which? ranking, which asked shoppers to rate their experience at 100 major retailers.

Cosmetics chain Lush, discount beauty shop Savers and toy chain Smyths Toys all came top of the survey.

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“It is clear that our traditional high street is changing and while this is bad news for some retailers who have struggled to adapt, others have seized the opportunity to make their mark,” said Ben Clissitt, Which? magazine editor.

"Our findings show that if retailers can strike the right balance between good value, quality products and first-class customer service, shoppers will keep coming back to their stores."

One customer said they found WH Smith “very expensive and its stores need updating”, while another said: "I always use the self-service tills because the staff are rude."

Bryan Roberts, insights director for TCC Global, said WH Smith was not shopper-friendly, The Guardian reports.

“If you are an investor then WH Smith is one of the best retailers in the country,” he told the newspaper. “Its share price performance and profitability are a huge success. But a lot of its practices don’t sit well with customer service.”

A spokesperson for WH Smith said that only 184 people commented on the store in a survey.

“We serve 12 million customers each week and despite a challenging retail environment we continue to open new shops, and to maintain our presence on the UK high street,” they said.

Best shops, according to Which?

1= Lush, Savers, Smyths Toys4= Screwfix, Toolstation6= Bodycare, Richer Sounds8= The Perfume Shop, Waterstones10= The Body Shop, Dunelm, Ikea, John Lewis

Worst shops, according to Which?

1 WH Smith2 Clintons3= Evans, Sports Direct5 Homebase/Bunnings6= Toys R Us/Babies R Us, JD Sports8= Dorothy Perkins/Burton, Halfords, Miss Selfridge, Ryman