WH Smith has appointed Leo Quinn as executive chairman, effective April 7, subject to shareholder approval. The Bookseller reported that Quinn was previously group CEO of Balfour Beatty plc, and prior to that spent more than 20 years in leadership roles at global companies, including seven years in the U.S.
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"In each case he has led significant business transformation, driving sustained cashflows and strong shareholder returns, including over £5 billion [about $6.7 billion] of total shareholder value," the company noted.
Quinn said: "WH Smith is a great business with a remarkable heritage. Working with the leadership team and our colleagues worldwide, I intend to ensure the company has the right foundations in place to deliver long‑term value for its investors, business partners and employees."
Annette Court will step down as chair and non-executive director, effective February 2, with Simon Emeny continuing as senior independent director, as well as interim non-executive chairman until Quinn's appointment. WH Smith added that the resolution to re-elect Court as a director of the company will be withdrawn.
The appointment "follows a significant changes at WH Smith, following an independent Deloitte review, which found 'insufficient systems, controls and review procedures for supplier income across commercial and finance functions' as well as 'weaknesses in the composition of the finance team' and inconsistent accounting practices in WH Smith's North America division," the Bookseller wrote. The review led to the resignation of Carl Cowling, group CEO and board director, last November.
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Book sales in France declined in 2025. According to the French publishers association (Syndicat Nationale de l'Édition), there was a 2% drop in sales in 2025 compared to the year before, "with the outlook for the market in 2026 not looking as bright as hoped for.... Since this first calculation, GfK-Nielsen has since revised the 2025 sales figure to -1%," the Bookseller reported.
Citing a concerning decline among younger readers, the trade is still waiting for a 10-year government plan to boost reading among children and young adults. SNE director Renaud Lefebvre said, "We hope the culture and education ministries will present details of the plan at our next Paris Book Festival in April."
Other concerns outlined recently by SNE president Vincent Montagne include the increasing sales of used books, which are forecast to rise to 40% of the total in France in 2030, and copyright theft by artificial intelligence operators.
Montagne added that despite several physical attacks on bookshops, "we have every reason to be proud of the fact that the book trade does not bow to fear or tension."
In 2025, the Syndicat de la Librairie Française (French Booksellers Association), many indies showed "a slight resilience" after a difficult year in 2024. The Bookseller wrote that SLF outlets "reported an average annual sales increase of 0.9% or 0.6% for books alone, but an inflation-adjusted drop of 0.5%. December provided a welcome uplift, with a year-on-year sales increases of 3.4% for books and 5.4% for other goods." The SLF added that almost a third of outlets had a sales drop of 5% or more, with those in medium-sized towns (50,000-200,000 inhabitants) being particularly hard hit.
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A new round of applications for the RISE+ Booksellers Exchange Program will launch later this month, the European & Independent Booksellers Federation's Newsflash reported. RISE+ supports booksellers from Europe and beyond in spending a few days abroad, working voluntarily in another bookshop to see firsthand how colleagues in other countries are navigating challenges, embracing new opportunities, and running their businesses.
Applications are currently open to bookshops wishing to host a bookseller colleague from another country in your shop. "As a host, you would include the visiting bookseller in your daily tasks, involve them in various activities happening in the bookshop, and make them feel part of the team for the duration of their stay," Newsflash noted.