The fall of WH Smith

It must once have seemed that, "much like the British Empire, the sun would never set on WH Smith", said Alexander Larman in The Spectator. But the skies are looking dark.

The retailer is currently in talks to sell off its portfolio of 500 UK high-street stores, meaning a brand that has existed for over 230 years may follow Debenhams and Woolworths and disappear from our streets for good.

WH Smith does plan to retain its "travel-retail" presence in airports, train stations and hospitals, the part of its business which "now accounts for more than 85% of its profit", said the BBC.

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'Regrettable experience'

At the height of its popularity in the 1960s, "half the British population purchased their newspapers from WH Smith", said the Daily Mail. By the 1970s, it had become the "ultimate stationery destination", famous for "sleek interiors" and "state-of-the-art listening pods", where you could listen to (vinyl) records before buying them.

Sold by the original Smith family in the 1980s, the company went "from strength to strength", cementing its reputation as a "heavyweight in retail", and a "quintessentially British" one to boot.

So, where did it all go wrong for the chain which, against all odds, seemed to have "survived the high-street cull"?, asked The i Paper. Undoubtedly, the "shift from people shopping in-store to online" has played a part in the retailer's demise.

The "untidy" and unloved state of its stores has also been key. A recent Which? survey found WH Smith "ranked the lowest" for customer experience in a high-street shop – the "ninth year in a row" it's been placed in the "bottom two spots". Time spent in any of the brand's high-street branches is now a "regrettable experience", said Larman in The Spectator. With innovation sparse, and attempts at expansion unsuccessful, the stores are clearly "in need of a metaphorical trip to Dignitas".

'Easier, cheaper, better'

WH Smith has confirmed that talks are in progress over the sale of its high-street stores but that there is "no certainty any agreement will be reached". Consequently, the jobs of 5,000 store staff now hang in the balance. About 200 WH Smith stores also operate Post Office counters "staffed by WH Smith employees", said the BBC.

Clearly, WH Smith's future is "bleak", but we're all "part of the problem", said Mark Smith in The Herald. We "say we want the high street" but, actually, we "stay at home and scroll, scroll, scroll, because it's easier, cheaper, better". WH Smith is the "diplodocus that survived the asteroid" and "the high street is no longer as it was".

If you're counting on a last-minute rescue from a "deep-pocketed buyer" who can turn WH Smith around, "don't get your hopes up", said Larman. Just like "many other things in public life today", there is really "no reasonable hope for its revival".