Farewell WH Smith, dowdy remnant of high streets past

WH Smith has a new owner the high street part, that is anda new name. The dowdy and unloved chain, derided on X for its grotty stores and unlovely mix of product, has been snapped up by Hobbycraft’s owner Modella for 76m in cash.

- JAMES MOORE

The deal brings the curtain down on 233 years of history. Smiths will in future trade as TG Jones”.

Who might TG Jones be? I have no idea. There was a Welsh footballer of that name who played for Everton. But it otherwise sounds like something a branding consultant dreamed up because it feels vaguely trad and ye-olde high street.

WH Smith was founded in 1792 and given everything that’s happened in retail since then, especially in recent times, it is some achievement for it to have held out for as long as it has. The fact that the seller didn’t want its fast-growing travel business, which will retain the WH Smith brand, associated with the thing is, however, telling.

The stock exchange announcement gushes about the division’s “high-performing management” and its profits and what have you. But WH Smith doesn’t want to put its 1,200-plus travel stores – the majority of which are based overseas – at risk of any taint.