WH Smith to disappear from high street after 233 years in £76m sale to Modella Capital

By Investor Empires On Mar 28, 2025

Smith, one of the oldest and most famous retail brands in the United Kingdom, is scheduled to fade from High Street after 233 years after the sale of the upper street department to Modella Capital for 76 million pounds.

The historical and stationery series, established in 1792, sold its full wallet consisting of 480 street stores in the United Kingdom – along with 5,000 employees and assets associated – to Model, the owner of Hobbycraft and the original factory store. The stores will be renamed as TG Jones, which represents the end of the name WH Smith in the high streets of Britain.

The WH Smith brand itself was not part of the sale, and will continue to exist worldwide through the group's rapid travel department, which runs retail stores at airports, train stations and hospitals in 32 countries.

The group's CEO, Carl Kaouling, said this step reflects the company's conversion to focus. He said: “As our travel business grows, our streets in the UK are much smaller than the WH Smith group.” “High Street is a good work: it is profitable and cash, with an experienced and high -performance administrative team. However, looking at our rapid international growth, it is now the right time for a new owner to move forward at the High Street Business company and to identify the leadership team in WH Smith exclusively on our travel work.”

WH Smith opened its first store in Little Grosvenor Street, Mayfair in 1792, founded by Henry, Walton Smith and his wife Anna. The company was a leader in the UK retail trade, as it opened the first store of the London Railway in London in 1848.

In recent years, the company has increasingly dependent on the travel department, which represented 75 percent of the group's revenues and 85 percent of commercial profits in the last fiscal year.

The deal refers to the end of an era in the British streets, where WH Smith has long been a familiar presence in cities and cities throughout the country. Under Modella Capital, stores are expected to keep the main retail offer, but with a new identity and a operating trend under the TG Jones brand.

Jimmy Young

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