While I know of newsagents who have been successfully doing coffee and related food and beverages in Australia for years, this WH Smith outlet is the first time I have seen a corporate ‘newsagency’ player in Australia offer it, and, they are doing it exceptionally well.
It fits well with their fresh new store design and is sufficiently visually different to be seen as a stand alone business. The Long Shot branding helps with that.
The WH Smith offer in Australia right now is the freshest and most on-point I have seen from them since they arrived in the country. Their new shop layout is excellent, supporting a broad range of products, making the shopper journey good, and I suspect, successful.
The changes are so significant that I would not be surprised to see them engage more in shopping centres and even at major high street locations.