WHSmith announces next UK store closure after four branches shut in February

Another high street branch in Accrington is set to close in March, with its final day of trading being Saturday, 15 March 15, according to the high street giant.

WHSmith is set to close another store next month after four shut for good in February. Another high street branch in Accrington is set to close in March, with its final day of trading being Saturday, 15 March 15, according to the high street giant.

WHSmith said the decision to close their store in the Arndale Centre was made as a result of their upcoming lease expiry. The company confirmed it will support staff through the transition and, where possible, redeploy them to other stores.

A spokesperson for WHSmith said: “We can confirm that the WHSmith store in Accrington will be closing on March 15, 2025. It is no longer sustainable to continue to trade from this location and the decision has been taken to close the store as a result of the forthcoming lease expiry.

“We are disappointed to be losing our presence in Accrington and we would like to thank all our customers for their support and for shopping with us. We are also extremely grateful for the commitment of our in-store colleges who we will support with this transition and redeploy to nearby stores, where possible.”

With the average lease length less than two years, some property experts said there was “an opportunity to shrink” WH Smith and reduce the portfolio to a “hardcore” of stores, with the 200 outlets containing big post offices most likely to be retained.

WH Smith has already been reducing its high street estate, with 14 closuresin 2024 and 17 planned this year. “I don’t see anybody is going to buy WH Smith without needing to put it into some sort of restructuring process,” said Jonathan De Mello, a property expert.

Another property expert said: “A lot of stores are underinvested. It has a diminishing but still valid place on the high street, but I don’t see a white knight coming over the horizon. It makes money, but not a lot, and it is hard to make money. It has been run to the absolute bone.”