UK-based travel retailer WHSmith has announced a partnership with electronic shelf label provider SOLUM to deploy digital shelf-edge communication solutions across its UK travel retail estate, beginning with flagship stores at Heathrow Airport Terminals 3, 4 and 5, according to Business Wire.

The rollout uses SOLUM's Newton PRO electronic shelf label, designed for demanding, high-footfall retail environments such as airports, railway stations and major transport hubs. The solution combines durability, long battery performance, rapid over-the-air updates and programmable button functionality, providing a digital foundation for store formats requiring speed, reliability and operational consistency.

By replacing manual paper ticketing with digital shelf-edge communication, the ESL solution enables WHSmith to update pricing and promotional information more efficiently across rapidly changing product categories. The technology is designed to help time-pressed passengers navigate busy travel stores with greater confidence while reducing repetitive in-store tasks for colleagues.

WHSmith's Heathrow flagship stores bring together food and drink, health and beauty, technology accessories, pharmacy services and other travel essentials in a single format, catering to passengers seeking a broad range of essentials in one location. In this fast-moving environment, accurate and responsive shelf-edge communication is central to delivering a smoother customer journey.

Heidi Reynolds, Retail Director at WHSmith, said: "At WHSmith, our focus is on making every journey better by bringing together all of the essentials travellers need in one place."

Reynolds added: "The ESL solutions help us support a clearer and more intuitive customer experience while enabling colleagues to operate more efficiently in busy travel environments."

Mark Duckworth, Country Manager UK & Ireland at SOLUM, said: "WHSmith's new flagship stores reflect the continued evolution of travel retail, where convenience, speed and clarity are essential to the customer journey."

Duckworth added that the partnership represents an important milestone for SOLUM as it continues to strengthen its presence in the UK travel retail market.

The Newton PRO's interactive functionality also creates the potential to support a wider range of future in-store scenarios, from operational workflows to customer-facing services, as WHSmith continues to evolve its travel essentials proposition.

For the full details of the WHSmith and SOLUM partnership, visit the full coverage.