About WH Smith
WH Smith is a company based in Swindon (United Kingdom) founded in 1792. The company has 15,200 employees. WH Smith has completed 3 acquisitions, including Cult Pens, InMotion Entertainment and Marshall Retail Group.
- Headquarter Swindon, United Kingdom
- Employees 15,200
- Stage Public
- SectorsRetail
- Email••••••••
- Phone•••• ••••
- Website whsmith.co.uk
- Social LinkedIn X Facebook
- Legal Name Wh Smith Plc
Funding Insights of WH Smith
- Total Rounds 3
- Last Round Post-IPO — $450.48M
- First Round $256.35M
(Oct 2018)
- Investors Count 4
All 3 funding rounds of WH Smith with amounts and investors; the two latest post-money valuations are shown, the rest are part of the premium plan.
4 investors in total: 4 institutional.
Investors in WH Smith
WH Smith has secured backing from 4 investors, including institutional investors. Prominent investors backing the company include Barclays, HSBC and BNP Paribas.
| Investor | Description | Founded Year | Domain | Location |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Diversified financial services are provided across global markets. | 1690 | home.barclays | London, United Kingdom | |
Universal banking and financial advisory services are provided globally. | 1865 | hsbc.com | London, United Kingdom | |
- | – | santandergcb.co.uk | - | |
Banking & financial service provider | 1848 | group.bnpparibas | Paris, France |
Investor details for WH Smith
The complete investor list, round-by-round participation and investor portfolios require an active premium plan.
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People of WH Smith
87 people are tracked at WH Smith (36 in leadership, 7 in board & advisors, 44 in team); the tracked headcount is 15,200.
| Name | Role | Group |
|---|---|---|
Robert Moorhead | CFO and COO | Leadership |
Eugene Dodd | General manager | Leadership |
Phil Wells | UK Trading Director - Inmotion & Consumer Electronics | Leadership |
Zoe McCann - Assoc Cipd | Senior People Partner | Leadership |
Lily-Emma Restivowebb | Talent Acquisition & Operations Business Partner - International | Leadership |
Peter Swann | Group Operating Director | Leadership |
Jacquie Wales | Head Of UK Commercial Finance | Leadership |
Carl Cowling | CEO | Leadership |
Gabriele Oriti | Head Of Solutions Architecture | Leadership |
Kevin Gotthard | Cfo, Whsmith North America | Leadership |
Steve Evans | Group IT Director | Leadership |
Sweta Singh | Head Human Resources | Leadership |
Ken Towning | Group CTO | Leadership |
Mark Robbins | Group Procurement Director / SVP Group Procurement / CPO | Leadership |
Deborah Proud | International Operations And Programme Delivery Director | Leadership |
Amy Donnelly | Senior People Partner | Leadership |
Spencer Sheen | Chief Development Officer - International | Leadership |
Keith Guthrie | Head Of Business Intelligence | Leadership |
Mark Sabin | Group Audit, Risk & Communications Director | Leadership |
Jenny Elliott | People Director - Travel | Leadership |
67 more people are available in the full profile.
Complete people profiles for WH Smith
Full employee and board profiles, team structure, tenure and professional contact details require an active premium plan.
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IPO & Listings of WH Smith
WH Smith is a publicly listed company on the LSE with ticker symbol SMWH in UK, operating in the Retail trade sector. As a publicly traded entity, the company provides investors with opportunities to participate in its growth story through equity ownership. The listing enables access to capital markets, enhances corporate visibility, and provides liquidity for shareholders while maintaining transparency through regulatory compliance and regular financial disclosures.
- IPO date01 Sep 2006
- Listed onLSE: SMWH
- Listed entityWH Smith PLC
- Exchange sectorRetail trade
- ISINGB00B2PDGW16
- Share price374.20 GBX (+1.3% on the day) · 2026-10-09
- Market capitalisation562,667,465.00 GBX
- EPS (diluted, trailing year)-1.01 GBX
- Dividend yield4.62%
- Volume (last session)553,303
Financials of WH Smith
| Year | Revenue | Net income | EBITDA |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 1.55B GBP | -144.0M GBP | 271.0M GBP |
| 2024 | 1.47B GBP | 54.0M GBP | 265.0M GBP |
| 2023 | 1.79B GBP | 79.0M GBP | 322.0M GBP |
| 2022 | 1.40B GBP | 47.0M GBP | 243.0M GBP |
| 2021 | 886.0M GBP | -82.0M GBP | 100.0M GBP |
Detailed financial statements for WH Smith
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Investments & Acquisitions by WH Smith
WH Smith has strategically engaged in corporate development activities, having acquired 3 companies. Notable acquisitions include Cult Pens, InMotion Entertainment and Marshall Retail Group.
| Company Name | Description | Domain | Location | Founded | Acquired | Amount |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Specialty retail stores are operated in airports and casino resorts. | marshallretailgroup.com | Las Vegas, United States | 1955 | Oct 2019 | $400M | |
Travel-related electronics and accessories are retailed at airports. | inmotionstores.com | Jacksonville, United States | 1999 | Oct 2018 | $198.4M | |
Online retailer of stationery products | cultpens.com | Tiverton, United Kingdom | 2005 | Jan 2018 | •••• |
Complete acquisition details for WH Smith
Acquired stakes, deal sources and the complete acquisition history require an active premium plan.
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Timeline of WH Smith
6 dated milestones of WH Smith across 15 years, from founding to its latest funding, stage changes and deals.
- IPO Lists on the stock exchange (IPO).
- Acquisition Acquires Cult Pens.
- Funding First funding round of $256.4M.
- Acquisition Acquires InMotion Entertainment.
- Acquisition Acquires Marshall Retail Group.
- Funding Latest funding round, Post-IPO, of $450.5M.
Web traffic of WH Smith
The website of WH Smith (whsmith.co.uk) receives about 80.8K visits a month.
- Monthly visits80.8K
▲ 10% vs previous month
Websites whose visitors overlap most with WH Smith. Affinity shows how closely the audiences match.
| Website | Domain | Audience affinity | Monthly visits | Global rank | Profile |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| foyles.co.uk | 100% | 387.9K | #137,318 | View details | |
| theworks.co.uk | 97% | 1.8M | #25,856 | View details | |
shop.abc.net.au | shop.abc.net.au | 88% | – | #5,202,200 | – |
hive.co.uk | hive.co.uk | 82% | – | #138,646 | – |
worldofbooks.com | worldofbooks.com | 77% | – | #6,737 | – |
| •••••••••• | ••••••.com | ••% | •.•M | #••••• | – |
| •••••••••• | ••••••.com | ••% | •.•M | #••••• | – |
| •••••••••• | ••••••.com | ••% | •.•M | #••••• | – |
All 40 similar websites and full traffic analytics for WH Smith
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- 40 similar websites
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Latest news on Wh Smith
Complete news archive for WH Smith
Full article history, source details, and older brand coverage require an active premium plan.
- Full article archive
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- Brand-specific news history
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Similar companies to WH Smith
10 companies that operate in the same segment as WH Smith (Retail Stores & Chains), ranked by their profile score on The Company Check.
| Company | Description | Founded | Location | Total funding | Revenue | Employees |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Home improvement products and services are retailed by Lowe's. | 1946 | Mooresville, North Carolina, United States | – | USD 86.29 B | 270,000 | |
Office supplies and business products are distributed online to companies. | 1986 | Framingham, Massachusetts, United States | – | – | 13,447 | |
Pet foods, products, and care services are provided by PetSmart. | 1987 | Phoenix, Arizona, United States | USD 23.3 M | – | – | |
Multi-format offline retail is operated in India. | 1997 | Mumbai, Maharashtra, India | USD 3.41 B | USD 280.87 K | 32 | |
Grocery products are retailed through a nationwide chain of stores. | 1883 | Cincinnati, Ohio, United States | – | – | – | |
Internet first brand of fashion apparel wear for men and women | 1975 | Arteixo, A Coruna, Spain | – | USD 308.1 M | 1,454 | |
Retailer offering wide array of perfumes | 1910 | Dusseldorf, North Rhine-westphalia, Germany | USD 259.43 M | – | – | |
Groceries, essentials, clothing, and electronics are retailed nationwide. | 1962 | Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States | – | USD 104.78 B | 440,000 | |
Hypermarkets and retail stores are operated globally by Carrefour. | 1959 | Massy, France | – | USD 98.74 B | 324,750 | |
Fashion apparel, shoes, and accessories are retailed nationwide. | 1901 | Seattle, Washington, United States | – | – | – |
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Frequently Asked Questions about WH Smith
WH Smith was founded in 1792 and raised its 1st funding round 226 years after it was founded.
WH Smith is headquartered in Swindon, United Kingdom. It is registered at Swindon, Wiltshire, United Kingdom.
WH Smith has 15,200 employees.
Annual revenue of WH Smith is $2.08B as on Aug 31, 2025.
Founded in 1792, WHSmith is headquartered in Swindon, United Kingdom, and operates as a retailer in the consumer goods sector. A diverse range of products, including books, stationery, and travel items, is offered through physical stores and the online platform at whsmith.co.uk. Nationwide operations in the UK focus on serving everyday consumer needs with established supply chains and distribution networks.
Yes, WH Smith is publicly traded on LSE under the ticker symbol SMWH.
WH Smith has made 3 acquisitions, including Cult Pens, InMotion Entertainment, and Marshall Retail Group.
WH Smith has 4 investors. Key investors include Barclays, HSBC, BNP Paribas, and Santander Corporate Investment Banking.