00:01WH Smith isn't WH Smith anymore. A name that's been on British streets for over two centuries
00:07has now vanished from hundreds of high street stores, replaced by something no one recognises, TG Jones.
00:14It's a rebrand born out of a buyout, not identity. The name was sold off and with it, a sense of continuity.
00:20In its place, a label that feels deliberately generic, not local, not legacy, just unremarkable.
00:27On the surface, the shop still stocks similar items, but for a lot of people, the name meant trust, nostalgia, even routine.
00:35Now that it's gone, rebranded, faceless, unfamiliar, does it still feel like the same shop?
00:40Oh, no. Oh, goodness. No, they just took two letters and another surname. I don't really know why they did that.
00:46But WH Smith is so iconic. You know what I mean?
00:49You're in the airport, you go there to get your stationery. I'm not going to get here. What is it called?
00:53TG Jones. TG here now. I don't find myself walking in front of TG Jones any time soon, you know?
00:58It's a bit of a strange thing to do. I mean, I wouldn't, I wouldn't shop in there anyway, because I found it very expensive.
01:06But a bit like Coca-Cola changing its name to a random thing.
01:12I mean, I guess it's just the name, so it's not going to be that different. But WH Smith is kind of iconic.
01:17So I think it's got that brand name recognition and people, people know Smiths, you know?
01:24It doesn't really bother me to be honest with you. Yeah. Yeah. There's no change to me anyway. Yeah.
01:34It's not just WH Smith. River Island is slashing stores too.
01:3933 confirmed closures. Another 71 under review.
01:43In Birmingham, the Sutton Coalfield branch is already set to go.
01:46But across the UK, the store is the same. Rising costs. Falling profits.
01:51Landlords unwilling to budge. Jobs are on the line and so are the habits of thousands of shoppers.
01:57For years, stores like WH Smith and River Island gave people a reason to come into town. They were reliable.
02:04Now, that familiarity is slipping and the high street feels like it's thinning out.
02:09So do people still shop at these places? And if not, what's taking their place?
02:16I think it's just a name, it doesn't really matter to be honest.
02:18Even though it's a high street staple, when was the last time you walked into WH Smith?
02:22Part of me thinks it's a money laundering spot, you know, don't hold me to that, but...
02:25No, I think it's iconic. Like, you're supposed to be on the high street.
02:28Like, you're going in when you were little to get your stationery bits and your books for school.
02:32I'm not going to be like, oh yeah, I'm going to go to 2J, whatever.
02:35And one of those WH Smith is so classic. And the high street's dying already.
02:38It's just like another piece that's gone.
02:40That's true. I hear that.
02:42I didn't really shop at River Island, but I definitely shopped at WH Smith.
02:46And I have also noticed quite a difference on the high streets.
02:51Like, lots of shops closed. Lots of places that, yeah, are just shut down now, like Peacocks and stuff.
02:58Like, lots of shops, you just said, like, black streets.
03:01Like, lots of shops in there.
03:08Yeah, that's hats to kind of the rib.
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03:15Okay ...
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