Up to 150 of WHSmith’s old high-street stores will close.
The only thing keeping WHSmith stores afloat is actually the Post Offices. Most people go to these stores only to mail their letters and leave a little money behind by buying small items.
Because of their location on High Street, there are very high rents and business rates. When you add personnel costs to this, store management may soon have to close some of the other stores as well.
It’s clear that they are not profitable, especially in newspaper and book sales. Since people stopped reading newspapers and books many years ago, there is no chance of making money in these two sectors. Meanwhile, their chances of surviving by selling envelopes, stamps, and similar items are very slim, but they have to resist because many Post Offices are inside the stores, which increases customer traffic. Especially the prices of things like drinks and sandwiches are above market prices. Unless absolutely necessary, people don’t want to go to these stores and spend money. Store management is forced to keep prices high due to rising rents and business rates, but this is their problem, not the customer’s. The customer has to look into their own pocket when making purchases.
As a result, while important and well-known brands in the country are gradually closing down, the government’s continued inaction only serves to exacerbate the problems.