WH Smith swings back to profit as retailer eyes global expansion November 10, 2022 WH Smith is back in the black after footfall to airports and railway stations returned this year, following the opening up of society post-Covid. The high street staple posted group profit before tax of £63m for the year to the end of August, compared to a loss of £116m it booked the year previously. WH [...]
WH Smith high street sales lower than pre-Covid levels after Funky Pigeon hack September 7, 2022 WH Smith has said its high street arm has been impacted by a cyber security issue with its greetings cards business, denting sales. The stationery seller said its high street business was performing in line with expectations. Sales stood at 80 per cent of 2019 revenue for the 26 weeks to 27 August 2022, following [...]
WH Smith chair Henry Staunton lined up as new Post Office head August 22, 2022 The UK government is lining up outgoing WH Smith chairman Henry Staunton to head the Post Office, as it seeks to navigate the fallout of the miscarriage of justice that saw hundreds of the state-owned company’s workers wrongfully convicted of serious crimes. Former ITV finance director Staunton has been chosen as the preferred candidate to [...]
WH Smith de-risks pensions scheme via Standard Life insurance policy August 8, 2022 WH Smith on Monday said it had taken out a bulk annuity insurance policy with Standard Life, through which the Phoenix Group subsidiary will cover the costs of the retailer’s £1bn pension scheme. The high-street bookseller’s insurance policy will see Standard Life pay the pensions of the almost 13,000 members of WH Smith’s defined [...]
Covid recovery: WHSmith airport shops exceed pre-pandemic revenue levels June 15, 2022 High street staple WHSmith is anticipating its full year outturn to hit the higher end of analysts’ expectations after its travel division has surpassed pre-pandemic revenue levels. In a trading update, the stationery seller said group revenue in the 15 weeks to 11 June was ahead of 2019 levels, sitting at 107 per cent. In [...]
WH Smith lures Admiral chief Annette Court as new chairwoman to replace Henry Staunton June 8, 2022 Retailer WH Smith has named Annette Court as its new chairwoman to replace Henry Staunton when he retires later in 2022 year after nine years in the post. Ms Court – currently chairwoman of insurer Admiral Group – will join the board as a non-executive director and chair-designate on September 1 before succeeding Mr Staunton [...]
WH Smith returns to profit and hopes to capitalise on travel comeback April 27, 2022 Stationery giant WH Smith has returned to profit and said it was set to reap the benefits of opening a number of new stores in airports as international travel rebounded. In interim results for the six months ended 28 February 2022, the high street named revealed headline profit before tax and non-underlying items hit £14m. [...]
WH Smith: Orders from Funky Pigeon website suspended after cyber attack hits cards firm April 19, 2022 WH Smith has said Funky Pigeon, its greetings card subsidiary, fell victim to a cyber security incident last week. In an update on the London Stock Exchange, the stationary giant said orders from the Funky Pigeon website have been temporarily suspended. The online retailer was affected by an incident on Thursday 14 April. Customer payment [...]
Deliveroo goes for speed as it joins forces with WHSmith for new 20 minute delivery service March 29, 2022 Online delivery giant Deliveroo said this morning it will soon be able to deliver a raft of products, from printer cartridges to bestselling novels, to customers in under 20 minutes. The company has joined forces with WHSmith as it continues to expand further from its traditional takeaway delivery business. It is Deliveroo’s first major leap [...]
WH Smith takes pandemic beating as spending dips at its travel stores in airports and train stations January 19, 2022 WHSmith has revealed the Omicron variant led to a fall in spending at its travel stores in airports and train stations during the final four months of 2021. The retailer added that high-street sales managed to improve during the same period – including in December as infection rates rose – however, overall, the company’s sales [...]