Editing WHSmith (section)

===Expansion===
From the 1970s, WHSmith began to expand into other retail sectors. WH Smith Travel operated from 1973<ref name="history3"/> to 1991. The [[Do It All]] chain of DIY shops originated with an acquisition in 1979,<ref name="history3"/> becoming a joint venture with [[Boots UK|Boots]] in 1990;<ref name=history3/> Boots acquired WHSmith's share in June 1996.<ref name=history3/> The bookshop chain [[Waterstone's]], founded by former WHSmith executive [[Tim Waterstone]] in 1982, was bought in 1989<ref name="history3"/> and sold in 1998.<ref name=history3/>

The expanding WHSmith group adopted a new "house style" or corporate identity in 1973, with a new logo and a change of name from W. H. Smith & Son to WHSmith. The new hexagon-shaped logo featured the initials of the group on the sides of a box employing a new orange and brown colour scheme, replacing a logo that had been in use since before 1830. This updated visual identity extended throughout the company's operations, specified by a design manual, covering everything from the appropriate use of the logo in retail environments, through the design of decorative elements on wrapping paper and promotional material, the layout of stationery, labels and forms, and even crockery, also informing the design of staff uniforms and packaging.<ref name="design197309_whsmith">{{ cite magazine | url=https://archive.org/details/sim_design_1973-09_297/page/24/mode/1up | title=A new face for WH SMITH | magazine=Design | issue=297 | date=September 1973 | access-date=1 March 2022 | pages=24 }}</ref>

In 1986, WHSmith bought a 75% controlling share of the [[Our Price]] music retail chain;<ref name="history3"/> in the 1990s it also bought other music retailers including the [[Virgin Group]]'s smaller (non-[[Virgin Megastore|Megastore]]) shops. The 75% share of Virgin Our Price was sold to Virgin Retail Group Ltd in July 1998 for £145m.<ref name=history3/> WHSmith also owned the American record chain The Wall,<ref>{{cite magazine|last=Christman|first=Ed|date=17 May 1997|title=With peluso to exit, The Wall's future remains a question mark|magazine=Billboard|pages=54–55|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=pA8EAAAAMBAJ&q=%22W+H+Smith%22+%22the+wall%22&pg=PA54}}</ref> which was sold to [[Camelot Music]] in 1998.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.hoovers.com/company/WH_Smith_PLC/cyfrif-1-1njhxk.html|title=WHSmith|work=Hoovers|access-date=25 October 2014}}</ref>

In March 1998, the company acquired [[John Menzies]]'s retail outlets for £68m, which for many years had been the main rival to the company's railway-station outlets. This purchase also cleared the way for WHSmith's retail expansion into Scotland. Prior to the takeover, Menzies's larger Scottish shops (carrying a very similar range of products to High Street WHSmith shops elsewhere) dominated the market, and the latter's presence was minimal.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/the_company_file/102800.stm|title=John Menzies takeover gets all-clear|work=[[BBC News]] |access-date=3 April 2015}}</ref>