Page 1 of WH Smiths going down the pan ?

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The City has a name for them. They`re the `heritage` or `legacy` retailers - Boots, Marks & Spencer, Sainsbury`s and WH Smith. And they`re in trouble.

And among those that once set the mark for others to follow and dominated in a way that seems inconceivable now, one is in a more difficult predicament than the rest. The one closest to dropping out of the big league altogether is WH Smith.



There was a time when WH Smith was unassailable, following the railway barons as they colonised the country, opening stalls in stations, moving into High Streets, reaping the benefits of a public who always wanted a newspaper and fags, enjoying the seasonal peaks of back-to-school geometry sets and children`s Christmas annuals. Those days have long gone. Last month, WH Smith reported losses of £135m.

Not surprising really,i called in today and saw an offer on Ps2 games 2 for £60 :o .
They must be having a laugh you can buy these games for 30 quid each at normal prices else where.
I don`t think i will be visting Smiths again in the near future.



(A.C.C Founder)

Maybe, but their chart dvd`s are pretty well priced compared to the other high-street stores

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I ate what?


My Collection

It seems to to be not so much of a price issue but one of identity. What are WH Smith? Are they a book shop like Waterstones? A CD/DVD retailer like HMV? A stationers? A newsagent?

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It seems to to be not so much of a price issue but one of identity. What are WH Smith? Are they a book shop like Waterstones? A CD/DVD retailer like HMV? A stationers? A newsagent?

The problem is that there are other shops who do each of those things better. When I was younger, WH Smith used to be one of the better places to buy records (heck, that dates me, eh?), but I wouldn`t even think about going there for CD`s now.

This item was edited on Thursday, 4th November 2004, 19:06

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It seems to to be not so much of a price issue but one of identity. What are WH Smith? Are they a book shop like Waterstones? A CD/DVD retailer like HMV? A stationers? A newsagent?

It does look like they`re trying to be all things to all people, and failing miserably. I think of WH Smiths primarily as a newsagent/stationers; they certainly wouldn`t be my first choice if I wanted to buy a DVD, for example.

For what it`s worth, when I go into WH Smiths shops they always seem very busy - especially the ones in railway stations and airports where they have (more or less) a captive market.

Mike

One thing from Smiths that has definately gone down the pan is their Christmas Gift catalogue.
It used to take ages to go through it, but this years is a pathetic 8 pages or so.
Compare it to Sainsbury`s, Tesco`s or even Waterstones !!

Maybe they`re starting to take a hit from all the library members who spend all day reading the magazines and rumpling the pages up >:(

And getting in my way >:( >:(

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Clayts, Moderator, DVD Reviewer
UK webmaster for Area 450 the independent Sampo/Maxent DVD site

I haven`t bought anything from WHSmith for years, and that`s no exageration. I alwaus buy my magazine from Asda, and any DVDs, CDs etc I get from the internet as I know I can get them cheaper, or before them.

Apart from the wide selection of magazines, WHSmith doesn`t offer much else really.

floyd

Have you ever seen a grown man naked?

DVD collection & WANTED list

I must confess, I am one person who sometimes goes and reads their magazines. Usually, I`ll be waiting for someone - otherwise I`ll just go and buy the magazine if it is that good that I have to stand there reading it.

The only reason I ever go to WHSmiths is the wide selection of Magazines. Oh, and occasionally books. Although the layout is now utter rubbish in my local store.

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Maybe they`re starting to take a hit from all the library members who spend all day reading the magazines and rumpling the pages up

Heh heh, that`s me!

I was in my local WH Smiths, and i noticed they`ve stopped selling CD singles - there are signs saying they no longer stock them. I also overheard a man ask if he could order an obscure CD from them, to which the lady replied they can`t order anything more than 2 months old anymore. 2 months? They should have 2 month old stuff on general display!

No point in them trying to concentrate on the book/magazine angle, because all the big stores and even supermarkets are besting them in that department. They need to improve all aspects of what the currently are, not cut back!