- How many stores do you have?
- Our High Street business has 565 stores and our Travel business operates 490 outlets at airport, train station, hospital, workplace and motorway service area locations primarily in the UK.
- In terms of selling space overall the business has 3.4 million square feet of selling space; 3 million square feet of which is in our High Street business and 0.4 million square feet of which is managed by our Travel business.
- What format are your stores?
- Our High Street business operates:
- 111 large stores (of more than 8,000 square feet)
- 266 medium stores (of 3,000 to 8,000 square feet)
- 188 small stores (up to 3,000 square feet)
- In Travel our stores range in size from 90 square feet in Perth to 9,912 square feet at London Victoria with an average store size of 1,130 square feet
- How many lines do you sell in your stores?
- In a large WHSmith store we sell circa 25,000 lines and a typical Travel store stocks circa 3,500 lines
- How many employees do you have?
- WHSmith employs over 17,000 employees across its retail business.
- What is your Board's structure?
- The Board comprises John Barton, Mike Ellis, Drummond Hall, Luke Mayhew, Robert Moorhead, Kate Swann and Robert Walker
- Robert Walker was appointed non-executive Chairman of the Board on 1 February 2005
- Executive directors of the Company and members of the Board are:
- Kate Swann (Group Chief Executive)
- Robert Moorhead (Group Finance Director)
- Non-executive directors are:
- John Barton (Head of the Remuneration Committee)
- Mike Ellis (Head of the Audit Committee)
- Drummond Hall
- Luke Mayhew
- The Audit Committee comprises Mike Ellis - Chairman, John Barton, Drummond Hall and Luke Mayhew
- The Remuneration Committee comprises of John Barton - Chairman, Drummond Hall, Luke Mayhew, Mike Ellis and Robert Walker
- The Nominations Committee comprises of Robert Walker - Chairman, John Barton, Mike Ellis, Drummond Hall and Kate Swann
- What is WHSmith's mission statement?
- WHSmith PLC's aim is to be Britain's most popular bookseller, stationer and newsagent.
- What products do you sell?
- The High Street business sells a wide range of newspapers, magazines, stationery, books and impulse products, as well as a range of entertainment products. WHSmith Travel sells a tailored range of newspapers, magazines, books and confectionery products.
- Who are your main competitors in the Books category?
- WHSmith's main competitors in books are Waterstone's, Amazon.co.uk, independent booksellers and the supermarkets.
- Where can I find information about your financial performance?
- When did WHSmith open its first store?
- Henry Walton Smith and his wife Anna opened a small news vendors in Little Grosvenor Street, London in 1792. More detail about the Company's development can be found in our history section.
- What is your environmental policy?
- What support do you give charitable causes?
- How do I get to your head office?