You are viewing your 1 free article this month. Login to read more articles.
W H Smith has said it is trading "in line with market expectations", having recorded a decline in group sales of 1% on last year for the period from 1st September to 7th November 2009.
W H Smith High Street was the division worst hit, with sales down 4%, while W H Smith Travel dropped 2%. However the retailer said both these drops were expected.
"We continue to focus on delivering our strategy to rebalance the mix of our business towards our core categories," the company statement said. "Whilst we remain cautious about the consumer environment and anticipate competitive trading in our markets over the key Christmas period, we have planned accordingly."
Regarding the Travel division, the statement added: "Although passenger numbers in air remain soft, we are well placed to benefit when passenger numbers recover."