How many employees work at WH Smith?
WH Smith Plc (SMWH) has approximately 9,201 total employees worldwide as of March 2026, according to Revelio Labs workforce intelligence data. WH Smith’s total headcount has declined 9.8% from 10,204 employees in 2023 to 9,201 in 2026.
Is WH Smith hiring right now?
Yes, WH Smith is actively hiring. WH Smith had 597 active job postings in 2026, a 20.9% decline from 2025 — see job openings & hiring trends.
About WH Smith’s Workforce
WH Smith Plc (SMWH) is an Apparel Retail company that employs 9,201 people worldwide as of March 2026. It is the 10th-largest by headcount among its peers. Founded in 2004, the company is headquartered in Bristol, United Kingdom and trades on the London Stock Exchange.
WH Smith's workforce has declined 9.8% from 2023 to 2026, down 2.0% year over year in 2026. It fell to a low of 9,201 in 2026 Q1 before recovering. Its workforce is concentrated most in Northern Europe (65.3%), followed by North America (17.9%) and South Asia (4.6%).
WH Smith's functional groups are Finance and Operations (49.6%), Engineering (25.7%), and Sales and Marketing (24.8%). The average salary is $39,264, ranging from a median of $37,000 in North America to $4,000 in South Asia.
WH Smith's active job postings fell 20.9% in 2026 to 597, with new postings per month cooling from 815 in 2023 to 492 in 2026. Overall employee sentiment is negative and declining.
Sourced from Revelio Labs workforce data.
- Ticker
- London Stock Exchange: SMWH
- Headquarters
- Bristol, United Kingdom
- Founded
- 2004
- Industry
- Apparel Retail
- Employees
- 9,201
- YoY
- -2.0% (-613)
As of March 2026
WH Smith workforce metrics
Unlock hiring rate, attrition rate, and 12 additional workforce metrics for WH Smith. Compare to peers, export the dataset, and access the full quarterly history.
Unlock MetricsWH Smith Annual Employee Count (2023-2026)
- WH Smith had 9,201 employees in 2026, a 2.0% decline (-613) from 2025.
- WH Smith had 9,335 employees in 2025, a 2.5% decline (-633) from 2024.
- WH Smith had 9,968 employees in 2024, a 0% no change (-229) from 2023.
- WH Smith had 10,197 employees in 2023, a 2.2% increase (+155) from 2022.
WH Smith's total workforce has declined from 10,204 employees in 2023 to 9,201 in 2026.
WH Smith Plc quarterly employee count
| Year | Qtr | Employees | YoY Change | YoY % |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | Q1 | 9,201 | -613 | -2.0% |
| 2025 | Q4 | 9,335 | -633 | -2.5% |
| 2025 | Q3 | 9,393 | -629 | -2.0% |
| 2025 | Q2 | 9,547 | -585 | -1.4% |
| 2025 | Q1 | 9,814 | -348 | -0.9% |
| 2024 | Q4 | 9,968 | -229 | +0.0% |
| 2024 | Q3 | 10,022 | -150 | +0.7% |
| 2024 | Q2 | 10,132 | -72 | +0.8% |
| 2024 | Q1 | 10,162 | +96 | +1.9% |
| 2023 | Q4 | 10,197 | +155 | +2.2% |
| 2023 | Q3 | 10,172 | +236 | +2.9% |
| 2023 | Q2 | 10,204 | +277 | +3.2% |
See WH Smith's complete headcount history, including quarterly breakdowns.
Get the DataWH Smith Employee Count by Region (2026)
Northern Europe accounts for the largest share of WH Smith's global workforce with approximately 65% of total employees, followed by North America and South Asia.
WH Smith employees by region
| Region | Employees | % of Total |
|---|---|---|
| Northern Europe | 5,972 | 65.3% |
| North America | 1,635 | 17.9% |
| South Asia | 417 | 4.6% |
| Southern Europe | 231 | 2.5% |
| Arab States | 207 | 2.3% |
| Southeast Asia | 193 | 2.1% |
| Sub-Saharan Africa | 153 | 1.7% |
| Pacific Islands | 139 | 1.5% |
| Western Europe | 100 | 1.1% |
| East Asia | 35 | 0.4% |
Drill into city-level data, hiring trends by region, and historic geographic shifts.
Unlock Geographic DataWH Smith Employee Count by Department (2026)
WH Smith's employee groups are Finance and Operations (49.6%), Engineering (25.7%), and Sales and Marketing (24.8%).
WH Smith employees by department
| Department | Employees | % of Total |
|---|---|---|
| Finance and Operations | 4,476 | 49.6% |
| Engineering | 2,319 | 25.7% |
| Sales and Marketing | 2,236 | 24.8% |
Compare WH Smith's department mix to industry peers.
See Full DataWH Smith Employee Salary by Region (2026)
WH Smith's average employee salary is $39,264 globally. Employees in North America receive the highest compensation. Pay is lowest in South Asia, at a median of $4,000.
WH Smith median employee salary by region (USD)
| Region | Median Salary |
|---|---|
| East Asia | $39,000 |
| Pacific Islands | $39,000 |
| North America | $37,000 |
| Northern Europe | $33,000 |
| Western Europe | $33,000 |
| Arab States | $24,000 |
| Central and Western Asia | $21,000 |
| Southern Europe | $20,000 |
| Central America and the Caribbean | $12,000 |
| Eastern Europe | $12,000 |
| North Africa | $8,000 |
| Sub-Saharan Africa | $7,000 |
| Southeast Asia | $5,000 |
| South America | $5,000 |
| South Asia | $4,000 |
Unlock salary by role, level, and city — and compare to WH Smith's industry peers.
Unlock Salary DataWH Smith Job Openings and Hiring Trends (2023-2026)
- WH Smith had 597 active job postings in 2026, a 20.9% decline (-178) from 2025.
- WH Smith had 775 active job postings in 2025, a 9.7% increase (+72) from 2024.
- WH Smith had 703 active job postings in 2024, a 6.1% decline (-44) from 2023.
- WH Smith had 747 active job postings in 2023, a 12.1% increase from 2022.
- Hiring velocity in 2026: 492 new roles/month, down from 771 in 2025 and 899 in 2024.
WH Smith's hiring is slowing: active job postings fell 20.9% in 2026 to 597, with new postings per month cooling from 815 in 2023 to 492 in 2026.
Track new postings per month, role-level demand, and hiring velocity vs. peers.
Unlock Hiring DataWH Smith Employee Sentiment (2026)
Revelio Labs tracks employee sentiment across WH Smith's workforce based on public professional data. Overall sentiment is negative and has declined year over year in 2026.
Overall
Unlock the full sentiment breakdown by department, tenure, and trend over time.
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Frequently Asked Questions About WH Smith
- How fast is WH Smith growing?
- In 2026, WH Smith's headcount shrank 2.0% to 9,201 employees, down from 9,814 in 2025.
- See the full headcount history
- Where are WH Smith employees located?
- Most WH Smith employees are based in Northern Europe (65.3% of headcount), followed by North America and South Asia.
- Explore where the workforce is based
- What is the average salary at WH Smith?
- The average employee salary at WH Smith is approximately $39.3k per year.
- Analyze the salary distribution
- How many new job postings does WH Smith open per year?
- In Q1 2026, WH Smith opened 1,475 new job postings. In 2025, WH Smith opened 9,255 new job postings — about 771 per month.
- Track hiring trends by role
- When was WH Smith founded and where is it headquartered?
- WH Smith was founded in 2004 and is headquartered in Bristol, United Kingdom.
- Compare WH Smith to industry peers
Speak with a workforce expert about WH Smith.
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