Strand Street WHSmith to be rebranded as 'TGJones'

The WHSmith store on Strand Street in Douglas is set to be rebranded later this year to become 'TGJones'.

It follows the acquisition of the 480-store high street chain by Modella Capital for £76m.

The sale is set to be finalised in June, after which the rebranding process will take place over a period of twelve months.

WHSmith’s travel outlets are not part of the sale, meaning the stores in the Sea Terminal and Ronaldsway Airport will be unaffected.

Speaking to Douglas City Centre Management, Store Manager Simon Nettle says: "The board of WHSmith have announced that the high street arm of the business has been sold to Modella capital. The sale will be finalised in June this year, after which time all the high street stores including our Strand Street shop will be re-branded to T G Jones over a period of 12 months.

"WHSmith will continue to operate as a travel retailer in the Isle of Man, UK and further afield meaning that the store at the Sea Terminal and airport will not be affected.

"I would like to stress that this is certainly a huge moment in the long history of the company and represents the biggest change I can recall in my 44 years with WHSmith. However, it is very much business as usual for myself and my colleagues at Strand Street and we look forward to seeing what the future holds under our new owners."