22 Facts About WHSmith

WHSmith is a British retailer, headquartered in Swindon, England, which operates a chain of high street, railway station, airport, port, hospital and motorway service station shops selling books, stationery, magazines, newspapers, entertainment products and confectionery.

WHSmith is listed on the London Stock Exchange and is a constituent of the FTSE 250 Index.

In 1966, WHSmith originated a nine-digit code for uniquely referencing books, called Standard Book Numbering or SBN.

WHSmith owned the American record chain The Wall, which was sold to Camelot Music in 1998.

WHSmith reacted to this by disposing of its overseas subsidiaries and its publishing business Hodder Headline, in order to concentrate on reforming its core businesses.

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In October 2013, WHSmith announced that it had bought the ModelZone brand and would sell products under this brand through existing WHSmith shops.

In October 2014, WHSmith announced as part of its preliminary statement that it was planning on extending its greetings card offering by launching the low-price brand Cardmarket on a trial basis.

WHSmith announced in late 2018 that the trial of Cardmarket would be wound up, with the closure of the Cardmarket stores.

In 2018, WHSmith acquired the brand InMotion, the largest airport-based electronics retailer in the USA.

WHSmith founded one of the UK's earliest cable television channels, Lifestyle, which was carried on almost every cable system in the UK and Ireland prior to the start of Sky Television in 1989.

WHSmith operate a number of shops within hospitals, following its acquisition of Yorkshire-based newsagent chain United News in March 2008.

WHSmith retains one shop on Rue de Rivoli in the centre of Paris, France.

WHSmith operated shops in the United States from 1985 until 2003, primarily in airports.

WHSmith acquired Australian and New Zealand subsidiaries in 2001, which were subsequently disposed of, along with those in Hong Kong International Airport and in Singapore at Changi Airport, in 2004 .

WHSmith is currently in the process of planning 30 kiosk shops in China.

In 2009, WHSmith opened two shops in Shannon Airport, County Clare, Ireland.

WHSmith opened four branches in Helsinki Airport, Finland in late 2016 and early 2017.

On 19 June 2009, WHSmith apologised after promoting a book on cellar rapist Josef Fritzl as one of the "Top 50 Books for Dad" as a Father's Day gift.

In October 2012, WHSmith faced criticism from shooters after the sale of shooting magazines to children under 14 was banned, although it is legal for children under 14 to go shooting.

On 14 October 2013, WHSmith took their website offline because "unacceptable titles were appearing on their website".

In May 2018, WHSmith apologised after it was revealed that it had made more than £700 by selling single tubes of toothpaste for £7.

The price was described as an 'error' and WHSmith promised that the proceeds from the sales would be donated to a local charity.