WHSmith has announced that a store in an Orpington shopping centre will close early next year.

This is following a notice from the landlord to terminate the lease at the Nugent Retail Park.

The company has expressed disappointment about the upcoming closure and customers have been thanked for their continued support.

Staff at the store will be offered assistance during the transition, including opportunities for redeployment to nearby locations where possible.

A WHSmith spokesperson said: “We can confirm that we have been issued notice to terminate our lease by the landlord on the WHSmith store at Nugent Retail Park, Orpington, and as a result our store will be closing early next year.

“We are disappointed to be losing our presence at Nugent Retail Park and we would like to thank all our customers for their support and for shopping with us.

“We are also extremely grateful for the commitment of our in-store colleagues who we will support and redeploy to nearby stores, where possible.”

WHSmith continues to shrink its UK high street division which stands at 500 sites after the closure of 14 sites, and the firm is expecting to shut a similar number in the current financial year.

The company added that it has around 470 store leases due for renewal over the next three years, including 100 where it is in active negotiations with the landlord.

“We only renew a lease where we are confident of delivering economic value over the life of that lease,” it said.

WHSmith said: “As we grow travel, the high street division will become a smaller part of the overall group.”

The firm said it is focusing on growth in travel shops across North America, with a pipeline of around 60 new stores under its belt and the group bidding to take on another 15 across major US airports.

The company is hoping to have around 500 shops across US travel sites by 2028, with the American business set to account for around 30% of the firm’s sales – up from the current figure of about 20%.

WHSmith is also continuing to expand its UK travel chain.

While it opened 14 sites over the past financial year and shut eight, it aims to open around three to eight on a net basis over the year ahead.