WH Smith swings back to profit as retailer eyes global expansion November 10, 2022 WH Smith is back in the black after footfall to airports and railway stations returned this year, following the opening up of society post-Covid. The high street staple posted group profit before tax of £63m for the year to the end of August, compared to a loss of £116m it booked the year previously. WH [...]
WH Smith high street sales lower than pre-Covid levels after Funky Pigeon hack September 7, 2022 WH Smith has said its high street arm has been impacted by a cyber security issue with its greetings cards business, denting sales. The stationery seller said its high street business was performing in line with expectations. Sales stood at 80 per cent of 2019 revenue for the 26 weeks to 27 August 2022, following [...]
Central banks highlight week ahead on global stage September 4, 2022 Central banks will yet again be closely watched this week, with policymakers right across the world still attempting to get a handle on out of control inflation pressures. This week will see Aussie chief Philip Lowe announce what markets expect to be a further rate rise, up north of 2 per cent. Then on Wednesday, [...]
WH Smith chair Henry Staunton lined up as new Post Office head August 22, 2022 The UK government is lining up outgoing WH Smith chairman Henry Staunton to head the Post Office, as it seeks to navigate the fallout of the miscarriage of justice that saw hundreds of the state-owned company’s workers wrongfully convicted of serious crimes. Former ITV finance director Staunton has been chosen as the preferred candidate to [...]
WH Smith de-risks pensions scheme via Standard Life insurance policy August 8, 2022 WH Smith on Monday said it had taken out a bulk annuity insurance policy with Standard Life, through which the Phoenix Group subsidiary will cover the costs of the retailer’s £1bn pension scheme. The high-street bookseller’s insurance policy will see Standard Life pay the pensions of the almost 13,000 members of WH Smith’s defined [...]
Banks boosted by looming BoE interest rate hike June 15, 2022 Strengthening bets on the Bank of England tomorrow hiking interest rates for the fifth meeting in a row boosted the UK’s biggest-listed banks today. The capital’s premier FTSE 100 index surged 1.2 per cent to 7,273.41 points, while the domestically-focused mid-cap FTSE 250 index, which is more aligned with the health of the UK economy, [...]
Where next for WH Smith shares? June 14, 2022 WH Smith could be one of Covid’s big winners. The retailer is expected to release their latest trading update on Wednesday. It is sometimes said of WH Smith that if it didn’t exist, one wouldn’t invent it. However, the retailer, which is due to post a trading update this Wednesday, could be one of the Covid pandemic’s [...]
WH Smith lures Admiral chief Annette Court as new chairwoman to replace Henry Staunton June 8, 2022 Retailer WH Smith has named Annette Court as its new chairwoman to replace Henry Staunton when he retires later in 2022 year after nine years in the post. Ms Court – currently chairwoman of insurer Admiral Group – will join the board as a non-executive director and chair-designate on September 1 before succeeding Mr Staunton [...]
The City View: August CEO Mélie Dunod on rethinking holiday home co-ownership April 27, 2022 Today Andy Silvester talks to Mélie Dunod, CEO and co-founder of holiday home co-ownership firm August. She talks us through the company’s inception; why their equity purchase model allows for better and more transparent co-ownership; and the post-Covid re-examination of lifestyle purchases. And in the news: law giant Eversheds Sutherland has re-entered Russia, striking a [...]
WH Smith returns to profit and hopes to capitalise on travel comeback April 27, 2022 Stationery giant WH Smith has returned to profit and said it was set to reap the benefits of opening a number of new stores in airports as international travel rebounded. In interim results for the six months ended 28 February 2022, the high street named revealed headline profit before tax and non-underlying items hit £14m. [...]