From googley-eyed pencil cases for primary school and scientific calculators for GCSEs to stacks of chunky textbooks for uni and the cans of RedBull we needed to get through them, WH Smith has been satisfying all of our stationery needs and more since 1792.
But even it’s not immune to the mass closures that have been happening across UK high streets over the past few decades. A bunch of WH Smith branches shut across Scotland and England last year and 17 more are set to say goodbye in 2025.
It’s not completely bad news for the stationers. Smiths previously announced plans to open 110 new branches in airports, railway stations and hospitals – places where its profits tend to be higher than average. The chain also said that it’s going to start selling vinyl records for the first time in 30 years.
The ill-fated WH Smith stores will close gradually over the next 12 months, with outlets in Bournemouth and Luton among the first to say their final farewells. They launched ‘everything must go’ sales in their last days, so keep an eye out for bargains if a Smiths near you is closing soon.
Full list of confirmed WH Smith closures 2025
- Bournemouth Old Christchurch Road, Dorset - January 18
- Luton, Bedfordshire - January 18
- March, Cambridgeshire - January 25
- Basingstoke, Hampshire - February 1
- Newtown, Powys - February 15
- Winton branch in Bournemouth, Dorset - February 15
- Rhyl, Denbighshire - February 15
- Bolton, Greater Manchester - February
- Accrington, Lancashire - March 15
- Halstead, Essex - April
- Halesowen, West Midlands - April
- Diss, Norfolk - April
- Newport, Isle of Wight - April
- Haverhill, Suffolk - April 26
- Stockton, County Durham - May
- Oldham, Greater Manchester - May
- Orpington, Greater London - no date given yet
Which WH Smith stores closed in 2024?
- Alfreton, Derbyshire – January, 2024
- Ramsgate, Kent – January, 2024
- Oban, Argyll and Bute, Scotland – February, 2024
- Nantwich, South Cheshire – February, 2024
- Margate, Kent – April 20, 2024
- Bridgwater – September 2024
- Sale, Manchester – September 2024
- Bournemouth – October, 2024
Full list of UK high street closures confirmed in 2025, from Co-op to Homebase
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