How WH Smith became the UK's ultimate stationery destination in the 1970s - before 'abandoning its heritage' amid fears over future of high street icon
How WH Smith became the UK's ultimate stationery destination in the 1970s - before 'abandoning its heritage' amid fears over future of high street icon
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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'.
![[Pictured: Richard Dimbleby filming for French television at the WHSmith stall at Victoria Station in March 1956]](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2025/01/26/13/94530963-14326713-image-a-24_1737899448103.jpg)
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.
![[Pictured: WHSmith's bookstall at Waterloo Station in London in 1960. In 1792, Henry Walton Smith opened a newsagent on Little Grosvenor Street in London with his wife Anna]](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2025/01/26/13/94530849-14326713-image-a-13_1737899152503.jpg)
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.'.
![[Pictured: The WHSmith store in Huntingdon in 1986, which featured the branding brought in in 1973]](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2025/01/26/13/94530855-14326713-image-m-15_1737899184344.jpg)
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.'.
![[At the height of its popularity, half the British population purchased their newspapers from WHSmith]](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2025/01/26/13/94530899-14326713-image-m-17_1737899330478.jpg)
