WHSmith will close 17 of its stores in the coming months, following a series of closures last year.
It comes after WHSmith previously announced plans to open 110 new branches at airports, train stations and hospitals where profits exceeded high street stores, as well as more than 50 stores across North America.
The iconic retailer has already seen two of its stores in Luton, Bedfordshire and Old Christchurch Road, Bournemouth, close their doors for good on January 18.
And more will follow between now and May, across the country, including in Greater London, Manchester, Cambridgeshire and Essex.
The WHSmith store in Basingstoke will close its doors on February 1, in a crushing blow to locals as it has been a staple of The Malls shopping center for more than 50 years.
Meanwhile, the WHSmith store in Newtown, Powys, will close on February 15. The store first opened in 1927 and has a small museum on the first floor depicting the history of the long-running company.
A spokesperson confirmed the closure, telling the Powys County Times: 'We are disappointed to lose our presence in Newtown, but unfortunately it is no longer sustainable to continue trading from this location.'
WHSmith will close 17 of its stores in the coming months, following a series of closures last year (stock)
WHSmith's are usually found in shopping streets, but also at stations and airports
The full list of WHSmith stores closing in 2025 is as follows:
- Bournemouth Old Christchurch Road, Dorset – January 18
- Luton, Bedfordshire – January 18
- March, Cambridgeshire – January 25
- Basingstoke, Hampshire – February 1
- Newtown, Powys – February 15
- Winton branch in Bournemouth, Dorset – February 15
- Rhyl, Denbighshire – February 15
- Bolton, Greater Manchester – February
- Accrington, Lancashire – March 15
- Halstead, Essex – April
- Halesowen, West Midlands – April
- Diss, Norfolk – April
- Newport, Isle of Wight – April
- Haverhill, Suffolk – April 26
- Stockton, County Durham – May
- Oldham, Greater Manchester – May
- Orpington, Greater London – no date given yet
Over the past two years, WHSmith has closed 10 floors, including sites in Manchester, Crewe, Ramsgate, Bicester, Somerset and Sale.
It was also announced late last year that WHSmith would be returning to selling vinyl records after a three-decade hiatus, in response to a growing trend among shoppers.
But WHSmith, which first opened in 1792, was voted Britain's worst or second worst high street retailer for nine years from 2011 to 2019, in a poll conducted by consumer watchdog Which?
Customers were further aggravated by the deteriorating state of the chain, with its seemingly haphazard stock, shabby carpets and shambolic presentation.
Customers were further aggravated by the deteriorating state of the chain, with its seemingly haphazard stock, shabby carpets and shambolic presentation
WHSmith's first shop, established in 1792, was opened by Henry Walton Smith and his wife Anna
WHSmith opened his first travel shop in London's Euston Station in 1848
A customer tweeted several years ago: 'Serious question: how did WHSmith survive? Am I missing something positive about what it does? Overpriced goods, run-down shops, lots of rivals.'
Another said: 'It sells overpriced products from shabby shops with few or no customers.'
In November 2020, the retailer announced it would close 25 stores on the high street, eliminating almost 200 jobs, after the pandemic pushed the company £280 million into the red, The Guardian reported.
The chain said it is likely the stores will close permanently after high street sales fell by 19 percent.
WHSmith's first shop, founded in 1792, was opened by Henry Walton Smith and his wife Anna in Little Grosvenor Street, London.
A few decades later, WHSmith opened its first travel shop in London's Euston Station in 1848.
