WH Smith eyes up assets of Hughes & Hughes bookshops
28 February 2010 By Ian Kehoe - The Post I.E.

WH Smith, the British retail giant, is this weekend considering a bid for the assets of Hughes & Hughes, the bookstore chain which went into receivership late on Friday.

One of the largest high street operators in Britain, WH Smith is believed to be particularly interested in taking control of Hughes & Hughes’ valuable concession shops at Dublin and Cork Airports. Both shops continued to trade over the weekend.

WH Smith has already tendered for the right to have stores in Terminal Two at Dublin Airport, and industry sources said it was mulling over a play for the existing outlets.

Easons is also a potential bidder for some of Hughes & Hughes’ outlets at the airport and nationwide. The receiver, Deloitte, will begin talks with potential trade buyers over the coming days as it seeks a quick deal.

A move into Ireland by WH Smith would shake up the Irish market. The company employs 18,000 people and has annual revenues of »1.3 billion.

Full story here.