WH Smith expects sales to scale their pre-Covid levels in the current fiscal year, the retailer said today, as it posted a smaller annual loss due to a recovery in North America and Britain's high streets from the pandemic fallout.
The company, whose stores in travel hubs sell books, stationery and other items, also said it was well-positioned to return to a "meaningful profit" in 2022.
WH Smith said its funkypigeon.com greeting card and gift business showed a record performance in the 12-month period ended August, just ahead of the key Christmas season.
"Across our digital channels over the medium-term we expect to see strong growth, particularly from funkypigeon.com, and we are well-positioned to grow this platform further," said WH Smith.
It currently has 1,540 stores of its 1,711 stores open around the world.
Annual pretax loss at the company, which had to cut jobs and raise money through a bond offering to get through the health crisis, came in at £55m, compared with a loss of £69m a year earlier.
