The annual Which? survey has rated WH Smith (LON: SMWH) as the worst high street retailer in the UK this year.
The survey was taken by 10,000 shoppers, who criticised the retailer’s customer service, value for money and the standard of its stores.
“The problem with WH Smith is that in order to flourish financially, it has entered a downward spiral of cutting costs on the high street to counteract falling sales, which becomes a vicious circle. It has slashed staff numbers, which leads to poor standards and service,” said an anonymous WH Smith watcher.
In the past years, the company has spent millions of pounds on refurbishing its stores.
A WH Smith spokesperson said: “Only 184 people commented on WH Smith as part of this survey. We serve 12 million customers each week and despite a challenging retail environment we continue to open new shops, and to maintain our presence on the UK high street.”
This year’s top retailers Lush, Savers and Smyths Toys. John Lewis (LON: JLH) fell down to the 10th spot – it’s the lowest rating since the survey was launched in 2010.
“It is clear that our traditional high street is changing and while this is bad news for some retailers who have struggled to adapt, others have seized the opportunity to make their mark,” said Ben Clissitt, the Which? magazine editor.
“Our findings show that if retailers can strike the right balance between good value, quality products and first-class customer service, shoppers will keep coming back to their stores.”
Last year’s top stores, Tool Station and Richer Sounds, were knocked down to fourth and sixth place respectively.