Bridgnorth WH Smith branch will become TGJones as owners lodge plans for new look
Bridgnorth's branch of WH Smith is set to become one of the first in the UK to get new branding after the stationer was sold earlier this year.
The firm's branch at 41 High Street in Bridgnorth will become a branch of "TGJones" following the sale of the historic stationer and newsagent, which changed hands in March.
New owners Modella Capital immediately revealed plans to rename the brand's 500 UK High Street stores in the wake of the £76 million sale of the company, marking the end of an era for WH Smith, which opened its first store in 1972.
However the sale did not include the company's travel division or the WH Smith branding, which will continue to be used at some airport and railway station outlets, forcing the new owners into an instant revamping exercise.
Modella Capital also owns one of the town's other major retail outlets, The Original Factory Shop, as well as a branch of Hobbycraft in Telford.
Now, the group has lodged plans to amend signage at the Bridgnorth store, meaning it will become one of the first in the country to bear the new branding, a simple white-on-blue lettering scheme which is visually similar to the former branding.
Speaking in March, the company said it had chosen the TGJones name because it carried "the same sense of family" as WH Smith, which it described as an "iconic" retail business.
The plans for updated signage will be decided by Shropshire Council in due course.
