WH Smith to Close 14 Stores in 2025, Including Two in Greater Manchester

WH Smith is closing 14 stores in 2025, impacting two in Greater Manchester. The closures come as the retailer faces ongoing sales challenges and shifts focus to its travel operations.

Bolton: WH Smith is planning to close 14 stores in 2025. This includes two locations in Greater Manchester. The first closure will happen on February 15 in Bolton.

Three other stores across the UK will also shut down that day. Then, Accrington will see its store close on March 15, followed by Oldham in May.

Sales have been tough for WH Smith lately. They reported a 6% drop in high street sales during the key Christmas season. This has led to talks about selling their high street stores.

They want to focus more on their travel operations, which are doing well. The travel shops are in airports and train stations, and they’ve been performing excellently.

WH Smith’s travel division now makes up a big part of their profits. The high street stores only account for about 15% of their annual trading profit.

Carl Cowling, the CEO, mentioned that despite some economic uncertainty, they expect good growth in 2025. They’ve had a solid start to the financial year, especially in travel.

In total, WH Smith will close 17 high street shops in 2025. They already shut three stores in January. Last year, they closed 14 stores.