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WH Smith To Rebrand

M

MikeyBikey

Well-Known Member
Relationship to Diabetes
Type 1
I was taken aback to read WH Smith is to rebrand to TG Jones. I used it regularly when I lived in St Alban's until I moved out to The Villages but still popped in occasionally.

I am no fan of rebranding as it rarely gets results.. A nearby hospital had a branch which was handy for buying sweets (if suitable), newspapers, magazines, etc. It has become a YACS (Yet Another Coffee Shop) and the Friends run one has gone!
 
This happened several months ago. WHSmith has sold off its high street stores to concentrate on its airport and station shops where it makes money by charging top end prices. I thought they went to the dogs years ago and I only use them at the airport because that's all there is. TG Jones can't be any worse and will probably just offer a more modern version of the same old stuff, maybe with more competitive prices.
 
Merluza said:
This happened several months ago. WHSmith has sold off its high street stores to concentrate on its airport and station shops where it makes money by charging top end prices. I thought they went to the dogs years ago and I only use them at the airport because that's all there is. TG Jones can't be any worse and will probably just offer a more modern version of the same old stuff, maybe with more competitive prices.
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Yes, the change of name was part of the deal.
 
Merluza said:
This happened several months ago. WHSmith has sold off its high street stores to concentrate on its airport and station shops where it makes money by charging top end prices. I thought they went to the dogs years ago and I only use them at the airport because that's all there is. TG Jones can't be any worse and will probably just offer a more modern version of the same old stuff, maybe with more competitive prices.
Click to expand...

I guess it really doesn’t matter what sign is above the door in a station/airport. It’s just The One That There Is. And folks will mostly be under time pressure to just grab and go.
 
Also, the name above the door tells you nothing about who owns the company and what their motivations might be. W H Smith today bears little resemblance to the times when Mr Smith started and built up his newsagents business.
 
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MikeyBikey said:
I was taken aback to read WH Smith is to rebrand to TG Jones. I used it regularly when I lived in St Alban's until I moved out to The Villages but still popped in occasionally.

I am no fan of rebranding as it rarely gets results.. A nearby hospital had a branch which was handy for buying sweets (if suitable), newspapers, magazines, etc. It has become a YACS (Yet Another Coffee Shop) and the Friends run one has gone!
Click to expand...
As I understand it only the High St branches are rebranding. WHS will still operate in hospitals, airports and railway stations (where I guess they have a captive audience).

They're in some motorway Services too but not seen anything about those.
 
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I've visited WH Smiths twice this year. Once in an airport where I refused to pay the amount they wanted for water and once in my local town where the shop was poorly lit, a bit grubby and had nothing I wanted to buy.

While the name has some nostalgia, they simply don't sell anything I want at a price I'm prepared to pay.
 
In our town, and I think others, the main Post Office is in W H Smith. They also offer some well-priced popular cookbooks. Stationery/cards tend to be expensive.
 
I wouldn't notice if W.H.Smith disappeared, I haven't been in one in years. I remember not being surprised when Woolworths went under. Back then I couldn't remember the last time I had been in one.
 
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