WHSmith is one of the UK's leading retail groups.

WHSmith aims to be Britain's most popular bookseller, stationer and newsagent.

19/04/2007 Announcement - Click here to read: WH Smith PLC to open Post Offices in 70 High Street stores

WH Smith PLC, one of the UK’s leading retail groups, is made up of two core businesses – WHSmith Retail and WHSmith News.

WH Smith PLC is one of the UK’s leading retail groups.

{At 1st May 2007} WHSmith PLC has 543 high street stores and 129 travel stores at airport, train station and motorway service area locations across the UK, WHSmith Direct - www.whsmith.co.uk - serves customers on the internet 24 hours a day.

High Street Retail sells a wide range of newspapers, magazines, stationery, books and entertainment products. Travel Retail sells a tailored range of newspapers, magazines, books and confectionery products for people on the move.

WH Smith PLC is listed on the London Stock Exchange (SMWH) and is part of the FTSE mid 250 index.

WHSmith Retail Limited is located at WHSmith Retail Limited, Greenbridge Road, Swindon, Wiltshire, SN3 3RX registered in England number 05681969, VAT registration number GB238 5548 36, email customer.relations@whsmith.co.uk

Delivering to 22,000 customers daily, WHSmith News is the UK’s market leader in newspaper and magazine distribution. Through its 47 distribution centres across England and Wales, it serves both independent and multiple retailers.

Click here to view WH Smith store locations

Early History

WH Smiths history dates back to Henry Walton Smith and his wife Anna in 1792 when they owned only a newsvendors. After Henry Walton Smith death and then later after Anna's death in 1816, H W Smith, trading now as newsagents and stationers, is passed to her two sons, Henry Edward and William Henry Smith.

In 1828, William Henry Smith was the more capable businessman of the two brothers and the concern becomes known as WH Smith.

Key Facts About WH Smith

Our Company

• WHSmith has stores in 399 out of the top 400 UK High Streets
• We have 543 high street stores and 129 travel stores at airport, train station and motorway service area locations across the UK.
• WHSmith employs 23,120 people across the UK
• Every year 70% of the UK’s population visit a WHSmith store
• On average, just over 1.2 million people visit a WHSmith High Street store every day of the year
• Every year 125 million travellers pass WHSmith’s busiest Travel store at London’s Victoria Station
  (Source: Network Rail)
• WHSmith sells 1.5 million magazines every week; 24,000 magazines every hour we are open
• Every year WHSmith sells in excess of 40 million books
• On average, we sell 3,000 A4 pads a day
• End to end the sales of our 3 best selling rulers would stretch from London to Spain
• • Our High Street Retail business has 542 stores across and our Travel Retail business operates 127 travel stores at airport and station locations.
  • In terms of selling space overall the business has 3.3 million square feet of selling space; 3 million square feet of which is in our High Street business and 0.3 million square feet of which is managed by our Travel Retail business.
  
  
• • Our High Street Retail business operates:
    • 124 large stores (of more than 8,000 square feet)
    • 258 medium stores (of 3,000 to 8,000 square feet)
    • 160 small stores (up to 3,000 square feet)
  • In Travel Retail our stores range in size from 90 square feet in Perth to 9,912 square feet at London Victoria with an average store size of 1,130 square feet
  
  
• • In a large WHSmith store we sell circa 25,000 lines and a typical Travel store stocks circa 3,500 lines
  
  
• • WHSmith employs 23,120 employees across its retail business.

WH Smith Store Locations {Last updated 30/04/2007}

WH SMITH NEWS 19/04/2007

WH Smith PLC to open Post Offices in 70 High Street stores

WH Smith PLC announces an agreement with Post Office Limited to open Post Offices within 70 WHSmith
High Street stores.
This follows the successful trial of Post Office franchises in six WHSmith stores. Since these trial stores
opened, there has been positive customer feedback, with customers welcoming the pleasant new Post
Office environment, good levels of customer service, convenient locations and additional services, such as
extended opening hours.
The agreement secures the future of main Post Office services in 70 towns and ensures that local communities
will continue to have access to the full range of over 170 Post Office services from a convenient and easily
accessible location in the heart of their town.
There is a natural fit between these two wellknown
and valued high street brands and the complementary
products and services provide an exciting opportunity to enhance the customer offer further for both WHSmith
and Post Office customers.
We anticipate that the majority of the 70 Post Office branches will have relocated to the local WHSmith store by
autumn 2008, on average less than 250 metres from the site of the original Post Office.
Commenting on the announcement, Kate Swann, WHSmith Group Chief Executive, said:
“We are delighted to be working with the Post Office to ensure that main Post Office services continue to be
available in the centre of 70 UK towns. Following the positive response to our Post Office trial, we are pleased
to be able to bring the full range of Post Office services and an enhanced customer offer to more communities.”
Alan Cook, Post Office Limited Managing Director, said:
“We are tremendously pleased to have secured WHSmith as a major partner, committed to operating a further
70 Post Office branches in its stores. The combination of a WHSmith store and a Post Office branch makes
perfect sense for customers and we both believe that it will strengthen our respective businesses. Crucially for
Post Office Limited, the partnership will help us to put the Crown office network on a sound financial footing,
after many years of heavy losses.”
Ends