WH Smith’s Sales Skyrocket – Travel Takes the Wheel, High Street Drives a Modest Crawl
WH Smith just dropped the latest earnings board and everyone’s reaction can be summed up in one word: Wheee! Sales have surged more than 25 % over the past year thanks to a travel boom and a flurry of new kiosks.
Filing Figures – Numbers, Numbers, Numbers!
- Pre‑tax profit (YTD 31 Aug): £243 m – a jump from £73 m the year before.
- Travel division profit: £164 m versus £32 m for the high‑street arm.
- High‑street sales: down 1 % at £469 m.
Travel Wins the Race
Big thumbs up for UK travel traffic, up 13 %, while North American sales had a fast‑lane climb of 15 % and the rest of the world hit 27 %. It’s as if people hit the next flight and WH Smith’s kiosks became the “on‑board … convenience” favourites.
CEO Carl Cowling: “Progress Is the New Oxygen”
“This has been another year of significant progress for the group. We start the new financial year strong with revenue up across the board: travel UK 13 %, North America 15 %, and the rest of the world 27 %. Despite the economy’s jitters, we’re feeling pretty good about the outlook,” he said, grinning most likely over a stapler‑filled travel guide.
Bottom Line
WH Smith has proven that travel, whether it’s the UK’s weekend weekenders or the jet‑setters of North America, can turn a rough year into a barrel of profits. Meanwhile, high‑street sales are breathing steady, minus a 1 % dip, and the bigger picture remains surprisingly optimistic. Stay tuned for more updates and, as always, this deep‑bread edition keeps your reading appetite fed!
