It’s been over a year since high street stalwart WHSmith agreed to sell its UK high street business to Modella Capital to focus solely on its fast-growing travel retail division.
Following the move, the brand saw pre-tax profit and non-underlying items drop to £108m for the year ended 31 August 2025, from £114m the year before, as it faced a “difficult” end to the year.
Regardless, WHSmith’s former interim group CEO Andrew Harrison described travel retail as “a high growth market” and insisted that the company had “attractive market positions” in its UK, North America and international markets from which it was “well-positioned to grow”.
Indeed, the travel retail market is forecast to grow. According to market research firm Allied Market Research, the global travel retail market was valued at $52.7 billion (£39.54 billion) in 2021, and is predicted to hit $187.1 billion (£140.38 billion) by 2031.
Additionally, according to Indian market research report provider Fortune Business Insights, the global travel retail market size is projected to swell from $79.41 billion (£59.55 billion) in 2026 to $182.61 billion (£136.94 billion) by 2034.
In light of this, Retail Gazette looks at five retailers that have boosted their investment in travel retail during recent times.
1. Hamleys
In May, Hamleys revealed plans to boost its presence throughout UK transport hubs with two new launches in London.
The toy company launched a 500 sq ft pop-up shop at Liverpool Street station in early May, which added to its existing travel locations at London Bridge and St Pancras stations.
Additionally, Hamleys is gearing up to launch a 1,000 sq ft store at Heathrow Terminal 2 in mid-June. This store will build on its airport footprint, with the retailer already trading from sites at Heathrow Terminal 4 and Stanstead.
The new shops form part of the brand’s wider travel retail push as it seeks to capture commuters, tourists and families travelling through major UK hubs.
Waitrose unveiled plans to enter airport retail for the first time in April, with its products set to launch across four new Relay stores in Terminal 2 at Heathrow Airport.
The move comes as part of a wholesale partnership with operator of the Relay brand, Lagardère Travel Retail, with the first store under the tie-up launched in May.
Three of the shops will be airside and one landside, with all four sites due to open by the end of 2026.
Each of the stores will sell a range of Waitrose food-to-go items tailored to passengers at Heathrow, including the supermarket’s No. 1 range.
The move comes under Waitrose’s plans to grow via additional channels alongside continued investment in its own stores and online business.
3. Monsoon and Accessorize
Monsoon and Accessorize is another business expanding on its travel retail operations.
In July, it was reported that real estate advisory firm Newmark was supporting Monsoon and Accessorize with a host of new and expanded shop openings across UK travel retail and the high street.
Within its travel retail arm, the expansion included refitted and upsized Accessorize stores in Birmingham Airport, which reopened in March 2025.
Additionally, the accessories specialist reopened a site at Glasgow Airport in November 2024.
At Gatwick Airport, Accessorize also unveiled plans to renew and refresh two shops in its North and South Terminals.
Likewise, Monsoon launched two new shops at Gatwick Airport in February 2025, representing its expansion into travel retail.
In May, Sainsbury’s opened its first airport store in England at Luton Airport.
The move built on the supermarket’s first shop within a UK airport, with the launch of an Edinburgh site in 2024.
The Luton store, which comprises a Sainsbury’s Local format, offers food, drink and travel essentials to passengers passing through the airport.
Commenting on its launch, Sainsbury’s central convenience stores director Andy Robinson said it was “a real milestone” for the business” as it brought “a Sainsbury’s Local into a completely different retail environment, designed around the needs of customers travelling through one of the UK’s busiest airports”.
5. Pandora
Pandora also debuted its first UK airport store in July at Manchester Airport, marking a major milestone for its presence in travel retail.
Designed with travellers in mind, the store features a 14-metre pink-tiled façade and two large-format digital screens.
Located in Terminal 2, the shop sells Pandora’s full range of jewellery collections, including its lab-grown diamonds and engraving services.
Additionally, it sells a curated selection of national icon travel charms from destinations around the world.
The shop marked the first of three new airport launches in 2025, as part of its growing investment in UK travel retail.
In August, it opened a second site in Gatwick Airport’s South Terminal, followed by a launch in London Luton Airport in September.
