WH Smith plc is a United Kingdom-based retailer specializing in books, stationery, newspapers, magazines, greeting cards, gifts and convenience products. Through its high-street stores, the company serves consumers in towns and cities, while its travel outlets are designed for customers in transit and typically offer books, snacks, drinks, travel essentials and other convenience goods.
The company’s travel business operates in locations such as airports, railway stations, hospitals, motorway service areas and other transport or travel hubs. WH Smith has expanded its travel-retail presence beyond the United Kingdom through stores and concessions in international markets, including North America, Europe, the Asia-Pacific region and the Middle East.
WH Smith traces its origins to 1792, when Henry Walton Smith and his wife, Anna, opened a news-selling business in London. Over more than two centuries, it developed from a news vendor into a diversified retailer with high-street and travel divisions. Its operations also include related retail and service activities associated with books, stationery and travel convenience.
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