A rant we can all get behind.

We have all popped to Smiths.
No one in the history of the world has popped to WHS.

Now I want some specialist curtains.

Would you like a packet of Haribo with that rant for an extra quid?

I’m just reading this as ‘WH SCHEAM’.

I still reflexively call it ‘wismiths’ from childhood, so that I can look like an idiot in front of everyone.

More to the point, how is their business still afloat?

We all voted for Brexit to stop this kind of nonsense.

martinhutch

More to the point, how is their business still afloat?

Bottled water, magazines and chewing gum at the airports?!

Terrible kerning. Who the hell are W.H.Scheam?

More to the point, how is their business still afloat?

If my in laws are anything to go by, old people. 

What’s that Pharmacy called again? Boots, something like that..?

More to the point, how is their business still afloat?

They make all their money from Trap Sites (airports, rail stations, services) they only keep a high street presence so that it doesn’t look like they make all of the money from Trap Sites.

I’ve wandered around the boss’s highland estate – think they are doing pretty well :-)

More to the point, how is their business still afloat?

I believe that WHSmiths is the most profitable high street retailer by area by some margin?

Terrible kerning. Who the hell are W.H.Scheam?

I’m worried about W.H.Sharmacy as well.

I believe that WHSmiths is the most profitable high street retailer by area by some margin?

I suppose it could be because they haven’t invested a penny in any of their cramped rathole high street branches since about 1976.

Then again, Boots has been on my ‘Why is it still there?’ for a few years as well. No business can survive purely on Soap and Glory and No.7 boxsets in the run up to Christmas.

In my childhood and early teens WH Smith was a place of wonder. Where all my Christmas presents came from, where my mum bought all the back to school exercise books and pens, where I discovered music, and novels, bought my first albums, music posters, books and egged on by mates first bought a grot mag.

It’s now a tatty shadow of it’s former self. Seemingly populated by zombie escapees from the bookies or wetherspoons in to buy ciggies. Somewhere where you might reluctantly go to buy a roll of wrapping paper but whose sole aim is to sell you scratch cards and chocolate you don’t want.

National Health Smiths

I believe that WHSmiths is the most profitable high street retailer by area by some margin?

Theyre very profitable – but most of their shops aren’t on the high street

They’re actually opening more shops …. But all in the aforementioned airports, train stations etc.

Good mate is currently project managing their [IT] HQ move into new offices.

They’ve had crap fontage for quite some time. This is how I remember them:

They’ve been stylised as WHSmith for years now. Dropping the ‘mith’ isn’t a great leap, though I agree with the OP that WHS looks a bit odd.

They’ve been going for a long old time, mind. So they must be doing something right. “Established in 1792, WHSmith’s first store was opened by Henry Walton Smith and his wife Anna in Little Grosvenor Street, London.”

https://www.whsmithplc.co.uk/about-us/history-heritage

In today’s edition of “I Didn’t Know That,” they’re credited with inventing the ISBN.

But also ‘most profitable high street retailer’ – high streets are on their arse in retail terms. Most of the retail space on the high street is now either Greggs, cafes, Greggs, pound shops, Greggs, charities or Greggs. Or just vacant. Or a ‘Greggs Outlet’

Bottled water, magazines and chewing gum at the airports?!

And around 70% distribution of all newspapers and magazines around the country, the other 30% is distributed by Menzies and both have a monopoly on where they distribute.

The retail end has been dieing for years until the postoffice started puting main town offices into them and the airport and train station sites are the only profitable part of the retail end of the business.

I’ve always referred to them as WHS. is WHSmiths an English thing?

Look at the little scrote on the left.

Bet he didn’t last a year in retail. Never stand with your hands in your pockets, guaranteed to get all the shit jobs from the boss that day. Rookie error. 😁

Look at the little scrote on the left.

Bet he didn’t last a year in retail.

Joke’s on you, he’s minted (used to run a hedge fund and was briefly Minister for Brexit Opportunities). :)

WHSmith’s first store was opened by Henry Walton Smith

So why isn’t it HW Smith’s?

Joke’s on you, he’s minted (used to run a hedge fund and was briefly Minister for Brexit Opportunities).

👍😁

£ per square foot most profitable is Richer Sounds isn’t it?

£ per square foot most profitable is Richer Sounds isn’t it?

That was only for one particular store I think – and also probably about 20 years ago.

Most of the retail space on the high street is now either Greggs, cafes, Greggs, pound shops, Greggs, charities or Greggs. Or just vacant. Or a ‘Greggs Outlet’

What a time to be alive! :D

No one in the history of the world has popped to WHS

Too busy popping to DFS or MFI, HSBC, C&A or B&Q or H&M I imagine.

The apostrophe has not been fitted by the sign writers. Every one knows it’s W H’s
.

Still John Menzies as far as I’m concerned.

We have all popped to Smiths.

The crisps factory? Whysoever would one do that? WH Smith, never Smiths. Are you provincial? 🎩

“Established in 1792, WHSmith’s first store was opened by Henry Walton Smith and his wife Anna in Little Grosvenor Street, London.”

I like those lamps above the windows.

So why isn’t it HW Smith’s?

His son was called William Henry, so it is likely the name was  William and Henry Smith, shortened to W.H. Smith. I would say the full stops at each letter are a confirmation that they were part of 2 separate names.

I used to work for a butcher called Tom Dowson. His shop was called T.W. Scott. Its a good name and it rolls off the tongue.

Truth of the name is his own Tom, his wife Wilma, and his son Scott.

Then again, Boots has been on my ‘Why is it still there?’ for a few years as well. No business can survive purely on Soap and Glory and No.7 boxsets in the run up to Christmas.

Firstly almost everything you list costs almost nothing to make. But the real gold is prescriptions, your taxes pay full retail for every time item. If they get a discount or find it cheaper overseas they just trouser the extra mark up.

Still John Menzies as far as I’m concerned.

You mean Menzies the completely different company?