Iconic high street retailer to close second store in popular UK town

The iconic stationery company, boasting over 1,000 outlets nationwide, has confirmed it will shut down its Winton branch in Bournemouth, Dorset.

According to a spokesperson for WHSmith, the shop is scheduled to close early next year: “We can confirm that the WHSmith store in Winton will be closing on February 15”, they said.

It comes just months after a branch in Boscombe locked its doors for good. The WHSmith store, which closed in June, was a part of the town’s commercial landscape for over a dozen years.

Local shoppers lamented the loss of the Boscombe branch, claiming that they’d “miss it”.

The decision to close another WHSmith store in the area hasn’t been taken lightly.

A WHSmith spokesperson said: “We are disappointed to be losing our presence in Winton, and we would like to thank all our customers for their support and shopping with us.

“We are also extremely grateful for the commitment of our in store colleagues who we will support with this transition and redeploy to nearby stores, where possible.”

While some retailers have closed brick-and-mortar sites due to changing shopping habits, the WHSmith shop in Winton will close when its lease expires.

The retailer could bid farewell to a third store in Bournemouth come 2025 as rumoured by local news reports.

The WHSmith store, located at the heart of the town centre on Old Christchurch Road, has been earmarked to shut its doors in January.

WHSmith has remained tight-lipped on the matter and has not officially confirmed the closure, but a spokesperson hinted at the possibility, reported The Bournemouth Echo.

They revealed: “We keep our store lease agreements under regular review, including at our Old Christchurch Road store in Bournemouth and will share updates on any changes to the store in future.”

Local shoppers reacted to the closure on Facebook, with one user writing: “Another shop of Bournemouth bites the dust!! Shame.”

The bad news for Bournemouth locals comes after WHSmith closed several stores elsewhere in the UK this year, including in Bolton, Lancashire.

It’s not all bad news, though. The retailer announced plans to open 110 new stores worldwide, set to launch in airports, railway stations, and hospitals.

WHSmith is focusing on the travel side of its business, where sales are growing, though it does plan to move away from its high-street portfolio with no plans to expand it.

In an update this year to investors, the retailer said it’s on track to open 15 stores this year and 15 more “each year over the medium term”.