‘Dark and dingy’ or ‘a real loss’? Shoppers react to possible loss of WH Smith

Stevenage is one of 500 UK towns where threatened closures will affect local retailers and the publishing trade

WH Smith sale could turn high street into ‘book desert’, authors say

Just two shop floor staff are on duty and shoppers are mostly serving themselves at shouty automated tills in WH Smith’s Stevenage branch, where there are boxes of goods on the floor, some empty shelves and missing signage.

Set in a faded shopping centre that was cutting-edge when it heralded Great Britain’s first new town in 1965 but is now gap-toothed with empty stores, WH Smith in Stevenage is a clear example of what is at stake for 500 communities across Britain whose local store is now at risk.

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