The British high street has been dealt a fresh blow with WHSmith set to close two more of its stores this weekend, speeding up the retailer’s withdrawal from town centres across the UK. Branches in Oldham, Greater Manchester, and Stockton, Teesside, will both close for good.

This is part of a wave of closures triggered by the recent sale of WHSmith’s entire high street division. The £76 million deal, finalised last month, saw the struggling chain offload nearly 500 stores to Modella Capital, the owner of Hobbycraft. While about 5,000 jobs were preserved in the process, the WHSmith name is now set to disappear from the high street altogether, with stores due to be rebranded under a new identity – TG Jones.

Travel outlets based in airports, train stations and hospitals will remain open, and the company plans to expand this side of the business, which has consistently outperformed its high street operations in recent years.

The Oldham and Stockton stores are the latest in a string of closures that began in mid-April, when branches in Halstead and Woolwich closed. These were followed by locations in Halesowen, Diss, Newport, and Haverhill.

Several more sites are expected to close in the coming weeks, with Doncaster’s West Mall due to shut on May 31, and Bedford on July 5. Closing-down sales are under way at many of the affected branches.

Ten WHSmith high street stores have already closed this year, including sites in Luton, Bournemouth, Rhyl, and Basingstoke.

The closures end more than 230 years of WHSmith’s high street history, which began with its first shop in 1792.

Once a staple of town centres, known for books, newspapers, stationery, and school supplies, the retailer has struggled to compete with online shopping and discounters, especially as inflation and rising costs continue to squeeze the sector.

The firm’s exit from the high street follows a broader pattern, with other household names such as Wilko also collapsing in recent months.

WHSmith has clarified that its future lies in the travel market – a strategy that has proved lucrative in airports and stations, where it faces less competition and benefits from higher footfall.

But for many communities, the closures mean the loss of a familiar local presence - and yet another vacant unit.