WH Smith travel unit shines, expects annual outcome to meet expectations
(Reuters) - British books, stationery and newspaper chain WH Smith Plc said on Wednesday its stores at airports and railway stations performed well in the year, helping it expect an annual outcome in line with its expectations.
The more than 200-year-old specialty retailer, which operates over 1,400 stores across the globe, also said that its international business had grown "strongly", with 428 stores open outside the UK.
Helped by a boom in air travel, WH Smith's huge network of airport, train station and workplace kiosks have fared better than its high street business, where it is looking to cut costs and grow margins. The business had performed in line with expectations.
The company will report results for the year ended Aug.31 on Oct.17. Analysts expect annual pretax profit of 151.2 million pounds, according to IBES data by Refinitiv.
(Reporting by Indranil Sarkar and Noor Zainab Hussain in Bengaluru; editing by Arun Koyyur)
