All WHSmith articles – Page 3
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News
WHSmith Christmas sales slide as retailer eyes travel sales resurgence
WHSmith has recorded a fall in sales over the Christmas trading period but has stressed it does not expect the Omnicron variant to derail its travel sales recovery.
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Gallery
Store gallery: First WHSmith and InMotion combined store touches down at Stansted
WHSmith has unveiled its latest travel store format: a combined WHSmith and InMotion store at London Stansted Airport.
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News
WHSmith to trial Amazon’s Just Walk Out tech as its focuses on international expansion
WHSmith will open its first checkout-free store by the end of the year at an airport in a major US city using Amazon’s Just Walk Out technology.
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News
Investor builds ups stake in WHSmith with eye to international travel rebounding
Los Angeles-based activist investor Causeway Capital has boosted its stake in WHSmith amid hopes of a global bounce-back in travel.
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News
WHSmith warns on future profit uncertainty despite high street and travel rebound
WHSmith said it expects the outcome for the year to August 31 to be ahead of expectation after an uptick in high street and travel trading, yet warned ongoing uncertainty could impact profits in future.
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News
WHSmith to open string of airport tech stores as travel recovery begins
WHSmith has announced that it will open 18 new airport stores under its InMotion fascia.
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Retail Navigator Analysis
WHSmith (SWOT)
A relentless focus on business efficiencies had seen operating margin across the group as a whole rise from less than 3% into double figures over the 10 years to 2019. While the pandemic decimated profits, the retailer moved back into the black in FY2022, with group operating margin increasing to a very respectable 8.7% in FY2023.
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Retail Navigator Analysis
WHSmith (Strategy)
WHSmith is on a mission to extend its ranges and add more product categories to drive up average transaction values and conversion rates. The retailer is increasingly turning to partnerships with other retailers to drive this.
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Retail Navigator Analysis
WHSmith (Overview)
With 1,250+ Travel stores globally (in airports, railway stations, hospitals etc) and around 500 High Street stores across the UK, WHSmith is the UK’s leading specialist newsagent, a category covering books, greetings cards and other stationery, in addition to newspapers and magazines.
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Retail Navigator Analysis
WHSmith (Financials)
WHSmith’s Travel division accounted for 74% of group sales and 84% of headline trading profit in FY2023 and drove a 28% increase in group sales to £1,793m in the year to 31 August 2023 as footfall continued to strengthen.
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Analysis
Arrivals and departures – how WHSmith, Dixons and Monsoon see direction of travel retail
As restrictions ease across the world, Dixons, WHSmith and Monsoon are taking differing approaches to prepare for the return of travel
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News
WHSmith launches £325m fundraise to open 100 new travel stores
WHSmith has unveiled plans to launch a £325m fundraise as the retailer doubles down on the expansion of its challenged travel division.
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News
WHSmith hails ‘better than expected’ sales as high street stores recover
WHSmith has posted a “better than expected” performance during the first two months of 2021 as its high street stores mounted a sales recovery.
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News
WHSmith delivers ‘better than anticipated’ Christmas as sales recover
WHSmith has hailed a “better than anticipated” performance during the Christmas period as it continued to rebuild its top line.
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Analysis
Why WHSmith boss Cowling sees ‘big opportunity’ from the pandemic
After a bruising year for both the high street and travel hubs amid the coronavirus pandemic, WHSmith suffered losses of £69m in the 12 months to August 31, compared with £155m profit last year.
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News
WHSmith tumbles to full-year loss as sales slide
WHSmith has fallen into the red at the full-year mark as the retailer’s sales across travel and the high street were “heavily impacted” by the pandemic.
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Analysis
Analysis: Vaccine joy sparks share price snakes and ladders
Welcome news of a coronavirus vaccine has sparked a stock market shift as investors rushed to buy and sell shares. Big-name retail and other consumer stocks shunned during the pandemic were back in fashion, while lockdown stars took a hit.
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Interview
Interview: WHSmith duo Cowling and Keir – why our travel division isn’t grounded
As WHSmith launches its one-stop-shop at Heathrow Terminal 2, chief executive Carl Cowling and managing director Toby Keir tell Retail Week why they believe the sky’s the limit for the travel division – despite tough times on the high street.
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Gallery
Store gallery: WHSmith’s new ‘blended essentials’ Heathrow store
WHSmith’s latest travel retail concept, launched in Heathrow airport’s Terminal 2, features a mix of health and beauty, gifts, books and snacks to create a travel one-stop-shop.
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News
WHSmith demands rent cuts as pandemic hits revenues
WHSmith has become the latest retailer to demand rent cuts from landlords in a bid to contain spiralling costs and offset sliding sales due to the coronavirus pandemic.