WHSmith convenience store at Knutsford Southbound, located on the ground floor extension near the SB entrance. WHSmith remains open 24/7 and becomes increasingly important during uncivilised hours of the day when other facilities are closed. Attached to the ceiling in front of this store are advertisements for brands on the bridge, such as KFC. WHSmith also seems to have not been refurbished recently, unlike many others at motorway services. It’s likely to be refreshed soon. It does spill out onto the concourse slightly as it’s a small store. This pic evidences how WHSmith sell a wide range of products, such as: books, snacks, travel essentials and AdBlue. WHSmith also provides a cash withdrawals machine, in addition to the usual facilities found in a roadside WHSmith, including a Krispy Kreme cabinet, F’real milkshakes and Costa Express machines. WHSmith would’ve opened at Knutsford South around 2008, replacing a Moto own-brand convenience store. By changing to a high street name, customers stopping here would know what to expect from the store in terms of product range. WHSmith has become so standard at motorway services that customers expect to find it at anywhere, and operators treat WHSmith more like an essential facility, such as a Changing Places toilet. WHSmith was valued more as a brand in the early 2010s when they were still fairly new to the motorway network. The location of WHSmith at Knutsford South means customers pass this store from the entrance to the toilets, increasing the likelihood of custom for this store as there is more passing trade. M&S, on the footbridge, doesn’t have this advantage & is much more difficult to access. WHSmith at Knutsford South, commonly with most motorway WHSmith stores, rapidly inflate their prices. This is because WHSmith and Moto know the store is in high demand, so inflating prices will increase profit. I would say, as a customer of Knutsford, WHSmith isn’t value for money as alike products from M&S are priced similarly to WHSmith, but are much higher quality. WHSmith stores, similar to those at motorway services, are also common to find in British railway stations. Despite the amenity building being rather busy during my visit, the WHSmith at Knutsford South was empty and eerily quiet, with no customers using the facility. This is unusual, as any motorway services which is fairly busy normally experiences a few customers in the WHSmith to reflect this. This could likely be due to the fact WHSmith is not signposted from the M6 Southbound, and isn’t advertised at all around the site, so customers are not made aware of the brand at all until walking past it in the amenity building.

Photo taken on 10/02/2024 by Tom Moon.

Assigned to galleries: Knutsford, M6 (England), Moto, WHSmith