Brixton’s TG Jones (formerly WH Smith) to permanently close on the 29th August 2026

The place has been looking increasingly run down in recent months, so it comes as no surprise to learn that the former WH Smith store in Brixton Road has announced that it will be permanently closing at the end of August 2026.

A Brixton Buzz reader told us:

Not sure if you are already aware, but TG Jones, Brixton (formerly WH Smith ) is closing down.

Apparently, the landlord not prepared to take a hit in rent as part of rescue plan, as agreed a few by a high court weeks ago.

Nowhere now in Brixton for stationery. People definitely buying less magazines but stationery must surely be crucial for many people, not least, school pupils.

What happened to WH Smith?

Earlier this month, the Guardian reported that up to 150 former WH Smith stores will be closing after a restructuring plan was approved in the high court.

The retailer, which has 450 stores and employs about 5,000 staff, was bought last year by the private equity firm Modella Capital, which also owns Hobbycraft, and rebranded as TG Jones.

It had warned it could have to call in administrators if the restructuring plan, which involves writing off debts to suppliers and cutting rent for many landlords, was not approved.

The dying print trade

In January this year, the popular Brixton News stall inside the tube station was closed after landlords Transport for London (TfL) increased the rent by 300%.

With TG Jones closing next month, it’s going to be increasingly hard to pick up newspapers and stationery in Brixton.

What about the Streatham branch?

It’s been rumoured that the Streatham branch will also be closing, but Brixton Buzz contacted a TG Jones representative who told us:

We are not aware of the Streatham branch closing currently.

The fall of a household name

A poster on the Brixton forum lamented the demise of a once-giant retail outlet:

How far they’ve fallen.

In the early 90s I paid my way through college as a part-time WHS warehouse manager. They were formidable back then – the biggest stationer, bookseller and music retailer in the country, and they dominated wholesale and retail news too.

At that time they also had a chain of travel agents, they owned OurPrice and Waterstone’s, and they co-owned Virgin Megastores and Do-It-All too. Getting a hefty staff discount across that group was brilliant, and they looked after their employees well.

The collapse of the Net Book Agreement and the rise of Amazon tipped them into a nosedive from which they never recovered.

For a company that was so innovative technologically – from using the railways for distribution, to inventing the ISBN, to being the first to use EPoS – it’s amazing that they never got to grips with the web.

Another added:

There was a trend in the 80’s and 90s for large retail conglomerates (Boots was one for example) but then the trend was to focus on core activities so all these businesses were divested by 2000.

Under CEO Kate Swann WH Smith itself restructured by extreme cost-cutting and reducing the assortment of goods that they carried.

Shops reduced staffing to a minimum. At the same time the travel retail arm (which includes hospitals) became the profitable part of the business with high street retail a drag on the business.

As you say WHS never really had much of a web presence and Amazon ate most of its categories. Travel retail has the advantage of a captive audience in stations, airports etc so can still make money and good margins.

It will become increasing difficult to find a shop selling a wide range of magazines, books and stationery on the high street, so that trade will suffer too.

What’s wrong with Private Equity?

The growing scourge of private equity has led to smaller portions, higher prices, worse service and shuttered stores.

From restaurants and retailers to vets and care homes, many of the brands we rely on are no longer being run as long-term businesses, but as investments designed to generate fast returns.

This harrowing video describes what’s being done to our High Streets in the name of a quick buck:

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