WH Smith admits it took town council's history trail plaque

In what might be described as an unintended corporate souvenir hunt, WHSmith has promised to return a heritage plaque that mysteriously vanished during the recent closure of its Newtown store.

The plaque, part of Newtown's heritage trail, disappeared during the closure of the historic branch along High Street, prompting the town council to contact WHSmith's top brass for an explanation.

In a letter to Newtown Town Council dated 14 April, Sean Toal, CEO of WHSmith's High Street division, admitted the heritage marker was "inadvertently removed during the closure process" and offered an apology for the historical heist.

"With regards to the Walking Newtown heritage plaque, I can confirm this was inadvertently removed during the closure process which I would like to apologise for," wrote Toal. "We have located the plaque, and we will return it to the council offices."

The heritage marker, which featured a QR code linking to information about the store's history, was a key stop on the Walking Newtown heritage trail. 

The loss temporarily prevented visitors from discovering the unique story of Newtown's WHSmith branch, the only one in the country that had retained many of its original features from a century ago.

Unlike most modernised WHSmith outlets, the Newtown store had been something of a living museum. During the 1970s, when the company updated most of its shops nationwide, the Newtown branch was preserved with its original 1920s features intact.

The store also housed a dedicated WHSmith museum on its first floor, in a space that once served as a WHSmith Lending Library.

In his letter to the council, Mr Toal acknowledged the store's importance while explaining the difficult decision to close: "Newtown was an important store for our High Street business and served as a reminder of our proud history following its restoration over fifty years ago."

However, he cited "declining sales for a number of years" and operating at a loss as reasons behind the closure, adding: "To support the future of our High Street business, we must make sure our store estate reflects how customers are shopping today."

The town council had expressed its disappointment at the closure, stating in its correspondence with WHSmith that the store had "presented a distinctive visual appeal" that served as "a visual tourist attraction in its own right."

Council records indicate the popular museum had attracted visitors from 10 different countries worldwide and 40 different counties across the UK.

For now, visitors following the Walking Newtown heritage trail will find a gap at the stop.