How WHSmith turned the UK’s final stationery vacation spot within the Nineteen Seventies – earlier than ‘abandoning its heritage’ amid fears over way forward for excessive road icon

It was once a shining beacon of the British high street that served as a one-stop shop for stationery, newspapers, records and literature.

But in recent years, WHSmith has tarnished the gleaming reputation it build up in the 1960s-1980s with its near-constant clearance sales and ‘overpriced rubbish’.

And now, after struggling to keep up with changing consumer habits for the past 15 years, the once beloved chain is at risk of disappearing from the UK entirely. 

In a statement yesterday, the British retailer – which was founded in 1792 in London – confirmed that it is in talks to potentially sell its 520 high street stores.

The news hasn’t been met with much surprise from former customers – who complained how their local stores, which were once famed for their carefully curated selection of upmarket stationery, have looked more like a ‘dump’ for many years.

One X user wrote: ‘WHSmith should have gone under before Woolworths. Overpriced and rubbish. It used to be amazing in the 1980s.’

Another added: ‘I’ve not been in a WHSmith for years, ever since they’ve become more known for their rotten carpet patterns, rather than their ability to sell nicely priced stationery and a nice pen to match.’

‘WHSmith lost its way and tried to do too much,’ a third said. ‘It’s been sad watching it being run down.’

Here FEMAIL takes a look back at the glory days of the UK chain – from their ’60s record roll-out to becoming the ultimate stationery destination in the 1970s.

At the height of its popularity, half the British population purchased their newspapers from WHSmith.

In the 1960s, the quintessentially British chain was famed for its sleek interiors and state-of-the-art listening pods, which allowed customers to listen to records before buying them.

Buoyed by this success, the business enjoyed a retail renaissance in the 1970s when it came under new management – having always previously been a family-run company. 

In 1792, Henry Walton Smith opened a newsagent on Little Grosvenor Street in London with his wife Anna.

18 years later, their sons William and Henry inherited the business and renamed it after themselves.

In 1848, the brothers founded their first newsstand in Euston station – and were named the UK’s principal newspaper distributor two years later, leading them to open depots in Liverpool, Manchester and Birmingham.

Fast forward 100 years, the business began selling vinyl records and expanded into Europe and Canada. 

In 1972, the Smith family finally sold the business, which had maintained the same classic oak-fronted shops with their ‘WHS’ logo for almost 200 years.

To bring in this new era, the business debuted their new brown-and-orange cube logo, which were rolled out to hundreds stores across the nation.

The company further diversified by launching WHSmith Travel in 1973 – and later acquired the DIY chain Do It All, which merged with Payless DIY. 

In 1986, the company went from strength-to-strength when they bought Paperchase and Our Price Music, thereby establishing themselves as a heavyweight in both the record and stationery retail worlds.

In particular, Britons across the country will have fond memories of their time spent in WHSmith’s well-stocked stationery sections – packed with coloured pens, glue sticks, novelty pencil cases, light-up pens, animal-shaped rubbers, and practically any other school supply imaginable. 

But like other legacy retailers, WHSmith struggled to adapt in the digital age – as print media moved online and the popularity of Kindles sky-rocketed. 

While some experts said the brand ‘abandoned their heritage’, others pointed out how supermarkets increasingly began stocking newspapers, books, CDs and DVDs in the noughties, which put a strain of WHSmith’s hold on the market.

Speaking to The Times in 2004. Richard Hyman – chairman of research consultancy Verdict – explained: ‘I can’t say what they are there for. That is the core problem that Smiths faces.

‘They don’t have a clear view of what they are there for. That is shown in the poor shopping experience in their stores.’

The retailer was voted Britain’s worst or second worst high street retailer for nine straight years from 2011 to 2019, in a poll conducted by consumer watchdog Which? 

Discussing the brand’s slow decline in 2015, British financial journalist Matthew Lynn wrote in Management Today: ‘[WHSmith] has become the poster child for short-term penny-pinching management, destroying its brand to keep the shareholders happy and the executive bonuses rolling, while sacrificing its medium-term chances of staying in business […]

‘It has ruthlessly under-invested in its high-street shops, while pushing up prices on most of its range, and tempting customers in with massive chocolate bars sold for a quid. It has worked so far, but only by creating a horrible shopping experience.’ 

That year, the X account ‘WHS_Carpet_Twitter’ became a viral sensation, which documented some of the most run-down floorings in the company’s stores.

The anonymous founder of the account told the publication: ‘What started off as a bit of a laugh soon escalated as it became clear that many customers and staff members were equally alarmed by the declining state of what used to be a high-street favourite.

‘I’ve been pleasantly surprised by the interest in what is a horrifically niche Twitter feed, but I think it just resonates with folk who have fond childhood memories of it but are now disturbed by how much staff cuts and cost-saving measures have turned WHSmith into an anti-retailer.’ 

In 2009, WHSmith was slammed after a Mail on Sunday investigation revealed they had increased the prices at their stores in hospitals.

In one hospital branch, a bottle of still mineral water is on sale for £1.69, compared to 85p in the city centre.

Another hospital-based WHSmith charges £2.99 for a pad of paper and £2.89 for a rollerball pen, compared to £1.99 and £2.49 at its nearby store.

 In 2011, retail expert Mary Portas – who as hired by ex-PM David Cameron to revamp Britain’s high streets – famously referred to WHSmith as a ‘dump’.

She fumed on Twitter: ‘I truly hate WHSmith. Used to be a loved British biz & now a dump. 

‘Rush hour, 7.45am at Euston. One person on till. Queues. And s****y promos.’ 

She later added: ‘‘When I review, I review as a shopper and as a shopper we should be demanding better. I’m sorry, I believe that.’

Earlier this month, WHSmith announced it is set to close 17 of its stores over the coming months, following a string of closures last year.

It comes after WHSmith previously announced plans to open 110 new branches in airports, train stations and hospitals where profits were higher than high street shops, as well as more than 50 stores in North America.

The iconic high street chain has already seen two of its stores in Luton, Bedfordshire and Old Christchurch Road, Bournemouth, close its doors for good on January 18.