Up to 150 former WHSmith high street stores now face possible closure, deepening pressure on town centres already struggling to hold onto familiar retail names.
The shops changed hands last year when Modella Capital bought the business and later rebranded the stores as TGJones. That move marked a new chapter on paper, but reports now indicate the chain could shrink dramatically. If the closures go ahead at the scale suggested, the decision would erase a large slice of the retailer’s physical footprint in one stroke.
A new name has not erased the old high street problem: too many stores, too little certainty, and mounting pressure on local retail.
The signal here reaches beyond one brand. Former WHSmith outlets often sit in prominent town-centre locations, and any wave of closures would leave more empty units on already fragile high streets. For shoppers, that means fewer everyday retail options. For local economies, it could mean less footfall for nearby businesses that rely on steady traffic from established chain stores.
Key Facts
- Up to 150 former WHSmith high street stores may close.
- Modella Capital purchased the stores last year.
- The outlets were rebranded under the TGJones name.
- Reports suggest the chain now faces a major retrenchment.
What remains unclear is how quickly any closures would happen and which locations would face the greatest risk. Sources suggest decisions may depend on store performance, lease costs and broader trading conditions, though the available information does not confirm a final timetable. That uncertainty matters for workers, landlords and councils trying to plan around the future of key shopping streets.
The next phase will show whether TGJones can stabilize a smaller estate or whether this becomes another symbol of the high street’s long retreat. Either way, the outcome will matter well beyond one retailer: it will test whether rebranding and new ownership can rescue legacy chains in a market that keeps getting harder.