WHSmith has announced the expansion of its ‘one-stop-shops’ that combine stationery, books and gifts with pharmacy, health and beauty products.

The first of these stores opened in 2019 at the retailer’s London Gatwick and London Heathrow airport locations, followed by another ‘one-stop-shop’ at London Euston station last year.

WHSmith has announced that this summer, it would be refitting its largest store at Birmingham Airport to become a fourth ‘one-stop-shop’ that would include ‘an extensive range of pharmacy and health and beauty products’.

These one-stop-shops are run in partnership with Well pharmacy, are staffed by a registered pharmacist, and sell both general sale and pharmacy-only items.

In Euston, patients can also click and collect NHS prescriptions from the Well pharmacy in branch.

WHSmith said that these stores were ‘performing very strongly’ and that one-stop-shops like this ‘work particularly well for time-pressed customers passing through travel locations, so this format works well in both airports and rail stations’.

However, it said ‘we don’t currently have any plans to expand this specific offer into our high street stores’.

In addition, WHSmith said it had also begun to include pharmacy, health and beauty products in smaller WHSmith stores within airports, hospitals and eight major Network Rail stations. These stores are not staffed by a registered pharmacist.

‘By extending our categories such as health and beauty, tech, food-to-go and pharmacy products, we are able to provide time-pressed customers with all their travel essentials under one roof with a fast and convenient shopping experience,’ the retailer said.

What's it like working in an airport pharmacy? We spoke to Hala Jawad, community pharmacist at Boots Gatwick, to find out.