High Street chain collapse sweepstake

[rob]

WH Smith bought by the owners of Hobbycraft

https://news.sky.com/story/bluesky-13337092

[all new Phil]

WH Smith bought by the owners of Hobbycraft

https://news.sky.com/story/bluesky-13337092

… with the high street stores to be renamed as TG Jones. Which just sounds like something they’ve made up rather than meaning anything?

They’re keeping hold of the travel stores though.

Let’s hope the renaming is done a little more nicely than that “WHS” rebrand a while back.

[bilky asko]

WH Smith bought by the owners of Hobbycraft

https://news.sky.com/story/bluesky-13337092

… with the high street stores to be renamed as TG Jones. Which just sounds like something they’ve made up rather than meaning anything?

They’re keeping hold of the travel stores though.

Let’s hope the renaming is done a little more nicely than that “WHS” rebrand a while back.

I think they openly admit it's just made up - Jones is clearly just another common surname they've swapped in, and two other initials that are different, but not used elsewhere.

[thegeek]

Bit of a mouthful though - the G into the J doesn't exactly roll off the tongue.

[Philip]

Though it's a bit similar sounding to TJ Hughes

[scottishtv]

Never really warmed to WH Smith on the High Street after they took over John Menzies.

And yet all these years later, both will have finally found their respective niches - working side by side at airports, albeit doing different things.

[james2001]

Though it's a bit similar sounding to TJ Hughes

Which is the whole reason why TJ Maxx is called TK Maxx in the UK.

[Jake]

[Andrew]

Sounds like a made up shop you’d get on Corrie, like Freshcos.

I can see why they’ve gone with Jones, but I would have thought there were already too many shops with initials starting with a T

[Martin Phillp]

The Post Office concessions are also staying as part of the deal.

[Blewatter]

I think its the right thing for WHSmith to divest themselves of those shops. At the end of the day, WHSmith as a shop was in need of an evolution. I've said it before, and I'll say it again: it needs a clear direction. At the moment, WHSmith is a mess. Its trying to do so much- its a newsagents, its a stationary shop, its a post office, a toy store, it sells overpriced snacks. I hope the new owners of TG Jones give it a clearer direction