How many employees work at WH Smith?
WH Smith Plc (SMWH) has approximately 10,374 total employees worldwide as of March 2026, according to Revelio Labs workforce intelligence data. WH Smith's total headcount has declined 12.5% from 11,849 employees in 2023 to 10,374 in 2026.
Data source: Revelio LabsCoverage: Global workforce, 2023–2026Published July 2026
Is WH Smith hiring right now?
Yes, WH Smith is actively hiring. WH Smith had 625 active job postings in 2026, a 16.3% decline from 2025 — see job openings & hiring trends.
About WH Smith's Workforce
WH Smith Plc (SMWH) is an Apparel Retail company that employs 10,374 people worldwide as of March 2026. It is the 9th-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 12.5% from 2023 to 2026, down 8.3% year over year in 2026. It fell to a low of 10,374 in 2026 Q1 before recovering. Its workforce is concentrated most in the United Kingdom (63.9%), followed by the United States (17.5%) and India (4.3%), with Nigeria, its fastest-growing location.
WH Smith's largest functional groups are Finance and Operations (49.3%), Engineering (26.1%), and Sales and Marketing (24.6%), with a median tenure of 3.3 years. The average salary is $39,410, ranging from a median of $37,000 in Northern America to $4,000 in Southern Asia.
WH Smith's active job postings fell 16.3% in 2026 to 625, with new postings per month cooling from 815 in 2023 to 500 in 2026. Overall employee sentiment is negative and declining.
Sourced from Revelio Labs workforce data.
As of March 2026
WH Smith
workforce metrics
Headcount
10.4k
8.3% YoY
Avg. Salary
$39.4k
0.7% YoY
Tenure
3.3yr
0.0yr YoY
Growth Rate
-8.3%
3.9pts YoY
Hiring Rate
Attrition Rate
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.
- WH Smith had 10,374 employees in 2026, a 8.3% decline (-898) from 2025.
- WH Smith had 10,642 employees in 2025, a 7.6% decline (-835) from 2024.
- WH Smith had 11,477 employees in 2024, a 3.1% decline (-358) from 2023.
- WH Smith had 11,835 employees in 2023, a 1.1% increase (+129) from 2022.
WH Smith's total workforce has declined from 11,849 employees in 2023 to 10,374 in 2026.
WH Smith Plc — quarterly employee count (2023–2026)
| Year | Qtr | Employees | YoY Change | YoY % |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | Q1 | 10,374 | -898 | -8.3% |
| 2025 | Q4 | 10,642 | -835 | -7.6% |
| 2025 | Q3 | 10,741 | -815 | -7.3% |
| 2025 | Q2 | 10,962 | -768 | -6.8% |
| 2025 | Q1 | 11,272 | -506 | -4.4% |
| 2024 | Q4 | 11,477 | -358 | -3.1% |
| 2024 | Q3 | 11,556 | -265 | -2.3% |
| 2024 | Q2 | 11,730 | -119 | -1.0% |
| 2024 | Q1 | 11,778 | +44 | +0.4% |
| 2023 | Q4 | 11,835 | +129 | +1.1% |
| 2023 | Q3 | 11,821 | +224 | +1.9% |
| 2023 | Q2 | 11,849 | +244 | +2.1% |
Want to see WH Smith's complete headcount history back to 2008, including quarterly breakdowns?
The United Kingdom accounts for the largest share of WH Smith's global workforce with approximately 64% of total employees, followed by the United States and India.
WH Smith employees by country — 2026
| Country | Employees | % of Total | YoY % |
|---|---|---|---|
| United Kingdom | 6,587 | 63.9% | -3.9% |
| United States | 1,809 | 17.5% | -1.9% |
| India | 440 | 4.3% | -0.5% |
| Australia | 160 | 1.6% | -7.3% |
| Ireland | 141 | 1.4% | -19.4% |
| United Arab Emirates | 133 | 1.3% | -7.8% |
| Spain | 131 | 1.3% | -15.7% |
| Nigeria | 83 | 0.8% | -0.4% |
| Indonesia | 77 | 0.7% | -14.8% |
| Italy | 67 | 0.6% | -3.4% |
Drill into city-level data, hiring trends by region and historic geographic shifts
WH Smith's largest employee groups are Finance and Operations (49.3%), Engineering (26.1%), and Sales and Marketing (24.6%).
WH Smith employees by department — 2026
| Department | Employees | % of Total | YoY % |
|---|---|---|---|
| Finance and Operations | 5,018 | 49.3% | -3.8% |
| Engineering | 2,654 | 26.1% | -2.5% |
| Sales and Marketing | 2,504 | 24.6% | -5.1% |
Compare WH Smith's department mix to industry peers.
WH Smith's average employee salary is $39,410 globally. Employees in Northern America receive the highest compensation. Pay is lowest in Southern Asia, at a median of $4,000.
WH Smith median employee salary by region — 2026 (USD)
| Region | Median Salary |
|---|---|
| Eastern Asia | $39,000 |
| Pacific Islands | $39,000 |
| Northern America | $37,000 |
| Western Europe | $33,000 |
| Northern Europe | $33,000 |
| Arab States | $24,000 |
| Central and Western Asia | $23,000 |
| Southern Europe | $20,000 |
| Central America and the Caribbean | $12,000 |
| Eastern Europe | $11,000 |
| Northern Africa | $8,000 |
| Sub-Saharan Africa | $7,000 |
| South-Eastern Asia | $6,000 |
| Southern America | $5,000 |
| Southern Asia | $4,000 |
Unlock salary by role, level, and city — and compare to WH Smith's industry peers.
- WH Smith had 625 active job postings in 2026, a 16.3% decline (-146) from 2025.
- WH Smith had 771 active job postings in 2025, a 9.2% increase (+68) 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: 500 new roles/month, down from 771 in 2025 and 899 in 2024. New metric
WH Smith's hiring is slowing: active job postings fell 16.3% in 2026 to 625, with new postings per month cooling from 815 in 2023 to 500 in 2026.
Track new postings per month, role-level demand, and hiring velocity vs. peers.
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.
Similar Apparel Retail Companies by Employee Count
- How fast is WH Smith growing?
- In 2026, WH Smith's headcount shrank 8.3% to 10,374 employees, down from 11,272 in 2025.
- Where are WH Smith employees located?
- Most WH Smith employees are based in the United Kingdom (63.9% of headcount), followed by the United States and India.
- What is the average salary at WH Smith?
- The average employee salary at WH Smith is approximately $39.4k per year.
- How many people does WH Smith hire per year?
- In 2026, WH Smith opened roughly 6,000 new roles — about 500 per month.
- When was WH Smith founded and where is it headquartered?
- WH Smith was founded in 2004 and is headquartered in Bristol, United Kingdom.
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