Business

WH Smith to Exit UK High Streets in £76M Deal, Marking Another Blow to Retail Sector

Published

1 year ago

March 28, 2025

RTX

British books and stationery retailer WH Smith is set to disappear from UK high streets following a £76 million (€91.2 million) deal to sell its 480 retail outlets to private equity firm Modella Capital, the owner of Hobbycraft.

The move is the latest in a series of high-profile closures affecting the UK retail landscape, which has struggled to recover from the pandemic. WH Smith, a brand with over two centuries of history, will continue to operate under its name in airports, railway stations, and hospitals, but its high street stores will be rebranded as TGJones.

Retail Shake-Up as Modella Capital Expands Portfolio

Modella Capital, which has previously acquired The Original Factory Shop and Hobbycraft, will take control of WH Smith’s high street operations, including several stores in shopping centres and retail parks. However, the exact timeline for the transition remains undisclosed.

WH Smith’s Post Office counters will continue running as usual, and the company has reassured customers that business operations will remain normal during the transition. The retailer, which employs around 5,000 people across more than 1,100 stores in the UK, has also hinted at exploring further strategic changes, including the potential sale of its digital greetings card brand, Funky Pigeon.

Despite the deal, concerns remain over potential job losses, though Modella has not confirmed whether redundancies will follow. The firm has stated that new product ranges will be introduced, but further operational details have not yet been revealed.

WH Smith Shifts Focus to Travel Business

The decision to exit high streets comes as WH Smith pivots towards its more profitable travel division. Group CEO Carl Cowling highlighted that the high street business, while still profitable, had become a smaller part of WH Smith’s overall operations amid the company’s international expansion.

“Our UK High Street business has been a good, cash-generating operation, but with our rapid international growth, now is the right time for a new owner to take it forward,” Cowling said. “This will allow WH Smith’s leadership team to focus exclusively on our travel business, which has stronger growth prospects.”

Russ Mould, investment director at AJ Bell, noted that the deal enables WH Smith to concentrate on expanding its travel retail footprint. However, he cautioned that losing the WH Smith name from high streets could negatively impact footfall.

“The WH Smith brand was a key reason why its stores survived in an increasingly challenging retail environment,” Mould said. “Shoppers relied on the retailer for specific items, and removing the brand could see customer traffic decline under the new TGJones name.”

High Streets Continue to Struggle

The departure of WH Smith from UK high streets is expected to further weaken an already struggling retail sector. The pandemic and changing consumer habits have led to a wave of closures, including Debenhams, Daniel of Ealing, and Cool Britannia. Retailers like New Look, Quiz Clothing, and Select Fashion have also been forced to shut multiple locations.

High street banks have followed a similar trend, with major lenders like Halifax, Lloyds, Bank of Scotland, and Barclays closing branches in response to shifting consumer behaviour.

Despite these challenges, the retail sector showed resilience in February, with the Office for National Statistics (ONS) reporting a 1% monthly increase in sales volumes. This exceeded market expectations of a 0.3% decline and followed a 1.4% rise in January.

Household goods led the growth, experiencing their strongest monthly performance since April 2021, while clothing and footwear sales also contributed positively. However, food store sales saw a decline.

On an annual basis, retail sales in February rose 2.2%, surpassing analyst projections of a 0.5% gain.

Consumer Spending Outlook Remains Mixed

Looking ahead, consumer spending trends appear uncertain. A McKinsey & Company report found that while 22% of shoppers plan to increase spending on garden furniture and 17% on hotels, many are cutting back in other areas.

“Nearly 40% of consumers plan to reduce clothing purchases, and almost half (49%) intend to spend less on jewellery,” said Sagar Shah, associate partner at McKinsey & Company.

He also noted that while inflation is easing, it has yet to drive stronger sales volume growth. Rising wages are putting pressure on retailers’ margins, forcing them to adjust pricing strategies and promotional tactics to maintain profitability.

As WH Smith transitions out of the high street retail landscape, the sector faces ongoing uncertainties, with businesses having to adapt to changing consumer preferences and economic conditions.

Business

Global Markets Rise as US–Iran Talks Ease Sentiment, but Oil and Geopolitical Risks Persist

Published

2 days ago

May 22, 2026

Web Reporter

Global financial markets advanced on Friday as investors reacted cautiously to signs of progress in US–Iran negotiations, though ongoing disruption to shipping through the Strait of Hormuz and elevated oil prices kept risk sentiment fragile.

European equities opened higher across the board. The DAX gained 0.64%, supported by a 3.61% rise in Deutsche Post AG shares. France’s CAC 40 climbed 0.65%, led by a 3.43% jump in STMicroelectronics. In London, the FTSE 100 rose 0.38%, with gains in financial stocks including 3i Group, while the Euro Stoxx 50 added 0.88%.

Currency markets were relatively steady, with the euro trading at $1.161 and the British pound at $1.342 in early European trading. Sentiment was also lifted by better-than-expected economic data from Germany, where first-quarter growth came in at 0.4% year on year and consumer confidence improved heading into June, offering cautious optimism for Europe’s largest economy.

Asian markets followed the upward trend. Japan’s Nikkei 225 surged 2.7% to 63,339 after data showed inflation easing to a four-year low of 1.4% in April. Taiwan’s Taiex rose 2.2%, while Hong Kong’s Hang Seng and China’s Shanghai Composite each gained 0.9%. South Korea, Australia, and India also posted modest increases, reflecting broad regional strength.

Wall Street had earlier closed slightly higher. The S&P 500 added 0.2%, the Dow Jones rose 0.6%, and the Nasdaq edged up 0.1%. However, technology stocks showed mixed signals, with Nvidia falling 1.8% despite strong quarterly results, as investors weighed valuations against broader market uncertainty.

Oil markets remained the key source of volatility. Brent crude climbed 2.3% to $104.97 a barrel, while US West Texas Intermediate rose 1.8% to $98.10. Prices remain significantly above pre-conflict levels, driven by continued disruption in the Strait of Hormuz, through which roughly a quarter of global seaborne oil flows pass.

Shipping through the strategic waterway remains constrained, with limited signs of recovery as diplomatic negotiations continue without resolution. Analysts say markets are highly sensitive to developments in talks between Washington and Tehran, with ING commodities strategists noting that optimism exists but uncertainty dominates trading conditions.

Geopolitical tensions also weighed on policy discussions in Washington, where a planned congressional vote on war powers legislation was postponed amid insufficient support.

In bond markets, US Treasury yields eased slightly to 4.57% after earlier spikes driven by inflation concerns linked to energy prices. The movement reflected ongoing caution among investors balancing growth expectations with persistent geopolitical risk.

Corporate earnings added a bright spot in Asia, where Lenovo Group surged more than 20% after reporting stronger-than-expected quarterly revenue of $21.6 billion, driven by robust performance in its PC and smart devices division.

Business

Goldman Sachs tapped to lead SpaceX IPO as Musk eyes record-breaking market debut

Published

3 days ago

May 20, 2026

Web Reporter

Goldman Sachs has reportedly secured the lead underwriting role for the anticipated stock market debut of SpaceX, a move that signals preparations are accelerating for what could become the largest initial public offering in history.

According to sources cited by CNBC, the aerospace and artificial intelligence company founded by Elon Musk is expected to move ahead with a public listing later this year at a valuation of at least $1.25 trillion.

Such a valuation would place SpaceX among the world’s most valuable publicly traded companies immediately after listing, potentially ranking ahead of Tesla, another company led by Musk.

The planned flotation is also expected to further boost Musk’s personal fortune and could make him the first person to reach trillionaire status, according to market analysts.

Reports suggest the company is considering an unusual structure for the offering that would reserve a significant portion of shares for individual investors. SpaceX is said to be exploring plans to allocate as much as 30 percent of IPO shares to retail buyers, a move that would give smaller investors broader access to one of the most highly anticipated stock offerings in recent years.

Large technology IPOs are typically dominated by institutional investors such as hedge funds and pension firms, making the proposed retail allocation notable within the investment industry.

Analysts said much of SpaceX’s valuation growth has been driven by its satellite internet business, Starlink, which has rapidly expanded its global subscriber base and established a recurring revenue stream.

The company also increased its exposure to artificial intelligence earlier this year through an all-stock deal involving xAI, another Musk-controlled business. The transaction reportedly valued SpaceX at $1 trillion and xAI at $250 billion, creating a combined private valuation of $1.25 trillion.

The expected listing comes at a time when global IPO markets are beginning to recover after several years of weak activity caused by higher interest rates and volatility in technology stocks.

Recent enthusiasm around AI-related firms has revived investor appetite for major public offerings. Last week, AI chipmaker Cerebras Systems debuted on the Nasdaq and ended trading with a valuation near $95 billion, strengthening expectations for more large-scale technology listings in 2026.

For Goldman Sachs, landing the lead role in the SpaceX offering would represent one of the most prestigious deals in modern Wall Street history. Competition among major investment banks for high-profile technology listings has intensified as firms seek to secure lucrative underwriting fees and strengthen relationships with fast-growing AI and technology companies.

Neither SpaceX nor Goldman Sachs has publicly confirmed the reports.

Business

Greek Stocks Stage Remarkable Comeback After Years of Financial Turmoil

Published

5 days ago

May 19, 2026

Web Reporter

A decade after Greece’s financial crisis pushed its banking system to the brink and wiped out most of the country’s stock market value, Athens has emerged as one of the world’s strongest-performing equity markets, outperforming major global indices including the Nasdaq 100 over the past five years.

The recovery marks a dramatic reversal for a country once viewed as the eurozone’s biggest financial risk. In 2015, Greece imposed capital controls, shut its banks and froze trading on the Athens Stock Exchange as fears of sovereign default shook global markets. At the height of the crisis, cash withdrawals were limited to €60 a day and Greek government debt had been downgraded to junk status by major ratings agencies.

By February 2016, the Athens Composite Index had fallen more than 90 percent from its 2007 peak, while Greek banking shares lost nearly all their value.

Today, the picture looks very different.

The Athens Composite Index has returned about 146 percent over the past five years on a total-return basis, outpacing the Nasdaq 100, which gained around 116 percent during the same period. Greece’s rebound has been driven by sweeping banking reforms, stronger public finances and renewed investor confidence.

Greek banks played a central role in the recovery. Lenders including National Bank of Greece, Eurobank, Piraeus Bank and Alpha Bank spent years dealing with enormous volumes of bad loans accumulated during the debt crisis. At one point, nearly half of all loans on their books were classified as non-performing.

The clean-up accelerated under the government-backed Hercules asset protection scheme, which allowed banks to remove billions of euros in troubled loans from their balance sheets. Improved profitability, stronger deposits and tighter cost controls followed.

By 2025, the country’s four biggest banks had collectively posted profits close to €5 billion, with several restoring shareholder payouts and share buybacks.

At the same time, Greece carried out major tax and fiscal reforms under international supervision. Digital tax collection systems boosted compliance rates, while government finances steadily improved. Greece recorded primary budget surpluses in both 2024 and 2025, helping reduce its debt burden sharply from pandemic-era highs.

The recovery also prompted credit rating agencies to restore Greece to investment-grade status for the first time in more than a decade. Moody’s became the last major agency to do so in 2025.

International investors have increasingly returned to Greek assets, encouraged by still-attractive valuations compared with other European markets. Shares in some Greek banks have risen roughly 500 percent over the last five years, though many still trade at lower earnings multiples than their European peers.

Athens also received a major boost after Euronext completed its acquisition of the Greek stock exchange in late 2025, increasing the visibility of Greek companies among international investors and index funds.

Despite the turnaround, challenges remain. Greece’s economy is still heavily reliant on tourism, inflation remains elevated and officials warn that tensions in the Middle East could affect growth and energy prices.

Even so, Greece’s transformation from financial crisis symbol to one of Europe’s strongest market recoveries has become one of the most notable turnaround stories in global finance.