WHSmith name set to vanish from UK high streets following sale

WHSmith, which is in talks to sell its 500 stores-strong high street arm of the business, is anticipated to be plotting a sale without the rights to its iconic brand name.

The retailer, led by chief executive Carl Cowling, is understood to think it is “not practical” to have two separately owned businesses trading under the same brand name, according to The Times.

A potential sale of the business could see the disappearance of WHSmith, which has been trading on the high street since 1792, as it shifts its focus on the travel arm of the business.

The auction, which is being run by bankers at Greenhill, has reportedly drawn attention from investment firms Alteri and Modella Capital. First-round bids are understood to have been submitted last week.

Potential buyers of WHSmith will be set a timeframe under which they would need to relinquish the brand name.

One source said bidders were attracted to WHSmith because of its “strength across multiple product categories and its clear hub of the high street strategy”.

A deal under which another owner licenses the WHSmith brand name is reported to be unlikely but is not “entirely out of the question”.