WH Smith’s ‘pay-to-play’ model isn’t the real problem

By Andrew Allen2025-09-11T20:29:00

WH Smith’s ‘pay to play’ model was one of the great unspoken topics in our industry, says Andrew Allen, consultant and entrepreneur-in-residence at Bidfood

The challenger brand space had a rare collective voice last week with The Grocer’s article highlighting unrest over some of WH Smith’s practices, particularly around marketing commitments and compliance.

WH Smith’s ‘pay-to-play’ model isn’t the real problem

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