WH Smith to close six stores and 24 Cardmarket outlets

Group to bring 40 crown post offices into its shops as overall pretax profits fall 4% WH Smith is closing about 30 stores, most of which are part of its Cardmarket budget chain, as it adapts to challenging conditions on the high street. Stephen Clarke, the chief executive, said the retailer would be closing six WH Smith stores which had “not got a hope of making any money” and about 24 Cardmarket outlets over the next three years. WH Smith would not confirm how many jobs would be affected, but Clarke said staff would probably be redeployed to other stores as the chain continued to open new outlets in hospitals, airports and other travel hubs. Read full story