All the WHSmith stores shutting in DAYS as closing down sales launched as it disappears off high streets

THE exact dates a number of WHSmith stores are closing down has been revealed – and some are shutting in days.

The stationery retailer has said it will close up to 20 stores in the coming weeks after it agreed to sell off nearly 500 of its high street shops.

WHSmith says it will close up to 20 locations in the coming weeks

The Sun can now reveal the dates 10 of these stores are closing for good.

First to go are the stores in Halstead and Woolwich, which will be shutting up shop on Saturday.

Both are holding mega 75% off closing down sales, so shoppers can get a great deal if they’re able to get there in the next couple of days.

The other stores are closing later in April, May or July.

These are all the dates we’ve had confirmed so far:

Halstead, Essex – April 12 Woolwich, London – April 12 Halesowen, West Midlands – April 19 Diss, Norfolk – April 19 Newport, Wales – April 26 Haverhill, Suffolk – April 26 Oldham, Greater Manchester – May 3 Stockton, County Durham – May 17 West Mall, Frenchgate Centre Doncaster – May 31 Bedford, Bedfordshire – July 5

Several of these stores are currently holding closing down sales.

Halesowen and Diss have a huge 75% off and staff say the stock is selling fast.

Newport, Haverhill, Stockton and Oldham have 50% off sales.

The Sun has approached WHSmith for comment.

Ten WHSmith stores have already closed this year.

They were:

Bournemouth Old Christchurch Road, Dorset Luton, Bedfordshire March, Cambridgeshire Basingstoke, Hampshire Long Eaton Newtown, Powys Winton branch in Bournemouth, Dorset Rhyl, Denbighshire Bolton, Greater Manchester Accrington, Lancashire

The end of WHSmith on the high street

The closures mark the beginning of the end of a 233-year stint on the high street for WHSmith.

Earlier this year, it put its entire high street estate up for sale as it focuses instead on its more profitable travel arm.

Its remaining 480 high street stores were snapped up by Hobbycraft owner Modella Capital last month as part of a £76million deal.

The move saved the jobs of roughly 5,000 employees.

However, the famous WHSmith name is set to be lost to the high street as the shops will be gradually rebranded to TGJones.

WHSmith stores will remain in airports, train stations and hospitals, and the retailer is planning to expand here.

The brand opened its first shop in 1792 in Little Grosvenor Street, London, later becoming the UK’s main newspaper distributor.

High street struggles

WHSmith’s departure from the high street comes just a few years after rival Wilko collapsed, with the brand partially rescued by The Range.

Retailers that had once seemed resilient now appear to be buckling under recent pressures.

They have had to deal with rising inflation and costs, a move to online shopping, and customers having less money to spend amid the cost of living crisis.

Another struggling chain is Poundland, whose owner Pepco hired advisory firm Teneo to oversee the sale of the business.

It came after Pepco said it was looking at “all strategic options” to separate Poundland from its brand.