WH Smith to launch eight new stores at New York’s JFK Airport
WH Smith has secured a major tender win which will grow its store numbers at John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) in New York.
Currently operating two stores in the airport’s Terminal 5, the travel retailer will launch a further eight stores in JFK’s New Terminal One when it opens in 2026. This will include the first WH Smith branded store in the airport.
Under the new award, the retailer will launch two own-brand formats incorporating WH Smith Travel Essentials and Skybound by WH Smith, as well as several locally focused store experiences including The Queens Borough Market and The Canopy. In addition to a travel essentials offer, WH Smith’s new stores will celebrate and promote local suppliers, products and the culture of New York.
WH Smith chief executive Carl Cowling said: “Our win in the iconic JFK airport demonstrates growing demand for our world-class travel essentials offer and why North America is our most exciting opportunity for growth.
Subscribe to TRB“This is significant for WHSmith North America and our partners, and we are delighted that our leading travel essentials proposition has been selected for the highly anticipated New Terminal One at John F. Kennedy International Airport.
“The team are always working hard to enhance and improve our offer and strengthen our partnerships with local suppliers, and this award is testament to their efforts. We look forward to bringing a distinctly New York experience to our stores as passengers travel through the new terminal.”
Alongside a pipeline of stores won and yet to open, WH Smith operates over 50 stores on the East Coast of the US, including at Newark and La Guardia airports in New York, and Ronald Reagan and Dulles International airports in Washington.
