‘Girl on the Train’ delivers profits for WH Smith

Bumper sales of the Fifty Shades of Grey series and publishing phenomenon The Girl on the Train helped boost profits at the Irish arm of WH Smith. Accounts filed by WH Smith Ireland Ltd show pre-tax profit rose 20% to €1.8m last year.

Revenues went up by 23% from €19.29m to €23.69m in the 12 months to the end of August. WH Smith won the contract to run shops in Dublin airport’s Terminal One in August 2013 and it benefited from the record 25m passengers that went through the airport in 2015.

In 2009, W H Smith opened its first two stores at Shannon Airport before opening its outlets in Dublin airports.