Established in 1792, WHSmith started out as family-run newsagents before becoming the first retail chain in the world.Established in 1792, WHSmith started out as family-run newsagents before becoming the first retail chain in the world. We celebrated WHSmith`s 225th anniversary in 2017, and with over 600 stores on the high street and another 600+ stores at airports, train stations, hospitals and motorway services, WHSmith is now one of the UK`s leading retail groups and a household name.