I haven’t seen one of those in a while…

Graham Soult

Retail consultant, writer, blogger; helping retailers via CannyInsights.com and CannySites.com. Say hello on Twitter at @soult!

You may also like...

17 Responses

  1. Bradley says:

    I’ve just found an old dry transfer lettering sheet that has this old logo on it! I have no idea how old it is. How can I send/upload a photo?

  2. Mike Rigby says:

    My mate’s dad, Ian Middleton, designed the WHS cube. I remember him showing me the early sketches in the 70s.

  3. Alex Martin says:

    Two years on from your post and there’s still a shiny and well-kept WHS logo on the front of the Chippenham store: http://www.flickr.com/photos/alexmartin81/5998971814/

    Maybe this is a Wiltshire speciality, given they also have a beautifully out-of-date “J Sainsbury” in Swindon. Check out the retro aisle signs! http://www.flickr.com/search/?w=23108377@N07&q=sainsbury+swindon&m=text

  4. WillPS says:

    The WHS in Nottingham Train Station still wears the cube logo (albeit sans ‘S’ – as if they tried to get rid of it and found it far too much of a faff!).

  5. RPKGV says:

    I think the new one looks really posh and bland.

  6. Thrifty Beatnik says:

    With the knocking down of the old ‘Pig n’ Whistle’,’Mikes’s Cafe’ and what I think was an independent video shop (very rare nowadays) this old WHSmith’s logo is more visible.

    I quite like the old logo really as there newer one seems to simply ape Waterstone’s.

    Next door to this old logo in ‘Redcar Literacy Club’ if you look in the upper windows there’s currently a rather humorous sign which reads ‘Reeding Club’….

  7. kyberhai says:

    What a stellar find!

    Really, aside from the lack of punctuation and capitalisation in the name – Mummy what’s a “Whsmith”? – then I loved the warm earthy colours of the old version.

    I think it may have something to do with this:
    http://www.leytransport.i12.com/nottc.jpg
    They were always at railway stations – back when more railway stations still had souls. All brings back fond memories of train journies as a child :>

  8. Adam says:

    It is strange seeing this logo now, the colours are just unattractive. The new look is certainly more desirable. I suppose this is just because we have become so used to seeing this new form.

    The WHSmith store in Swansea has the old logo imprinted on the glass of the windows.

  1. October 5, 2009

    […] MetroCentre’s Waterstone’s illustrates the point that I made here about retailers not bothering to upgrade certain stores within their estate. Not only does the […]

  2. November 2, 2010

    […] like the archaic WHSmith logo that I happened upon in Redcar, it’s an interesting example of a retailer rebranding but forgetting – or just not bothering […]

  3. January 19, 2011

    […] in September 2009, Soult’s Retail View readers seemed to enjoy my exposé of an old-style WHSmith logo at the rear of the branch in Redcar – well over a decade after that logo was supposedly […]

  4. August 29, 2011

    […] (Photo reproduced with kind permission from Graham Soult) […]

  5. March 2, 2012

    […] whether it’s highlighting pre-1995 BHS logos in Carlisle or WHSmith cubes in Redcar, there’s a certain satisfaction to be derived from celebrating the signage that retailers […]

  6. August 24, 2012

    […] it’s long-forgotten remnants of departed retailers, or 1980s fascias that chains have forgotten to update, there’s something satisfying about coming across bits of retail heritage in unexpected […]

Leave a Reply

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.