The iconic high street chain will close a total of 17 stores over the coming months, with one closing in a matter of days.
WHSmith has been announcing the closures for the past few months.
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WHSmith has been announcing the closure over the past few monthsCredit: PA: Press Association
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The chain will soon close its branches in Diss and Newport. Credit: Alamy
The retail brand, which operates more than 1,100 stores, has closed dozens of stores since 2023, and expects even more in the next few months.
The closures are spread across the country and will last from now until May.
It comes after WHSmith confirmed in November that it would close up to 20 stores each year over the next three years.
In addition, the chain plans to open 90 new stores in various locations over the next three years.
Two locations closed yesterday after massive sales.
WHSmith on Bournemouth’s high street was offering shoppers the chance to grab discounts of up to 50% before it closes for good.
The last trading day of the kiosk and office supplies giant was January 18.
Locals were quick to share their disappointment when the news broke.
One said: “Another store closing so sad to see this.”
While another added: “Another one bites the dust here in Bournemouth, it’s almost a ghost town.”
Why are stores closing up shop?
A spokesman for WHSmith told The Sun it was “disappointed” by the closure of the Old Christchurch Road branch, but that it was no longer viable to trade from the location.
Another venue has closed its doors for the last time in Luton.
A shopkeeper described the shop at Luton Point as “no longer a viable shop out of it”.
WHSmith said staff would be supported and relocated to nearby stores where possible.
A third location is also slated to close in January.
The store in March, Cambridgeshire, will close its doors on January 25.
More than 20,000 residents in the area will lose access to the WHSmith branch when it closes its doors for the last time.
Many people took to Facebook to express their frustration with the closure and the state of the town’s high street.
One user said: “I knew this was going to happen. Gosh our high street is dying…all that work looks like a huge waste.
“And on top of that, more jobs are being created. I hope all the staff find work as soon as possible.”
Following the closure, the nearest WHSmith branch available to locals will be in Wisbech, Ely and Peterborough, among other areas.
Not only that, but five more branches will close in February, followed by one in March.
A further five WHSmith stores will close their doors in April, followed by two in May.
One site in Orpington is expected to close in the next few months, although no date has yet been given.
Several of the stores that will be closing their doors have run takeout sales, so if one is closing in your area, it might be worth checking out for bargains.
Here’s the full list of WHSmith closures so far in 2025:
- Bournemouth Old Christchurch Road, Dorset – 18th January
- Luton, Bedfordshire – 18 January
- March, Cambridgeshire – 25 January
- Basingstoke, Hampshire – 1 February
- Newtown, Powys – 15 February
- Winton branch in Bournemouth, Dorset – 15 February
- Rhyl, Denbighshire – 15 February
- Bolton, Greater Manchester – February
- Accrington, Lancashire – 15 March
- Halstead, Essex – April
- Halesowen, West Midlands – April
- Diss, Norfolk – April
- Newport, Isle of Wight – April
- Haverhill, Suffolk – 26 April
- Stockton, County Durham – May
- Oldham, Greater Manchester – May
- Orpington, Greater London – no date set yet
BOL RETAIL IN 2025
The British Retail Consortium has predicted that the Treasury’s rise in employers’ NICs will cost the retail sector £2.3 billion.
A survey by the British Chamber of Commerce shows that more than half of companies plan to raise prices by the beginning of April.
The survey of more than 4,800 companies found that 55% of them expect prices to rise in the next three months, compared to 39% in a similar survey conducted in the second half of 2024.
Three-quarters of companies cited the cost of hiring people as their primary financial pressure.
The Center for Retail Research (CRR) also warned that around 17,350 retail outlets are expected to close this year.
It comes after a difficult 2024 when 13,000 stores closed their doors for good, a 28% increase on the previous year.
Professor Joshua Bamfield, director of the CRR, said: “The 2024 results show that although the outcomes of shop closures were generally not as bad as in 2020 or 2022, they are still worrying and will be even worse in 2025 .”
Professor Bamfield also warned of a bleak outlook for 2025, predicting that as many as 202,000 jobs could be lost in the sector.
“With the cost of running stores and each consumer’s household costs increasing, it is very likely that we will see retail job losses surpass the peak of the pandemic in 2020.”
Which stores are already closed?
In the past two years, WHSmith has closed 10 stores, including locations in Manchester, Bicester, Somerset and Sale.
In June 2023, WHSmith confirmed it would no longer be opening high street branches in a blow to customers.
The retailer said opening more high street stores would be “just duplication”.
She added that she intends to focus on expanding her portfolio outside the sector.
Here’s the full list of stores that have closed in the past few years:
- Crewe, Cheshire – March 2023
- Newcastle-under-Lyme, Staffordshire – March 2023
- Bicester, Oxfordshire – August 2023
- Manchester – 2 December 2023
- Alfreton, Derbyshire – January 2024
- Ramsgate, Kent – January 2024
- Oban, Argyll and Bute, Scotland – February 2024
- Nantwich, South Cheshire – February 2024
- Margate, Kent – 20 April 2024
- Sale, Manchester – September 2024
- Bournemouth – October 2024
Despite the closures, WHSmith still operates more than 1,100 stores across the UK and remains focused on its expansion plans.
The retailer has announced the opening of 110 new stores in 2024, with 15 in the UK and over 50 in the US.
Many of these new outlets are located in airports, train stations and hospitals.
WHSmith has also introduced a range of Toys R Us concessions in its UK stores, part of its strategy to adapt to evolving market trends.
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