WH Smith upbeat as profits rise

The popularity of Alex Ferguson’s autobiography as a Christmas stocking filler was not enough to prevent a sales slide at WH Smith’s high street stores, the group said today.

Like-for-like sales in the division were down 6% in the half-year to February 28 as the retailer faced “challenging markets” and a weaker book publishing roster. Like-for-like sales across the group were down 4%.