This has led to dramatic price deflation - particularly in entertainment - and WHSmith has proved no more immune to this than other retailers. Low-profile chief executive Kate Swann has made it clear she is not interested in chasing unprofitable sales, so her priority has been to streamline the business and refocus the range in high street stores so that profits can grow, even if that puts the brakes on sales growth.
However, there is a world that internet sales cannot touch - travel retail. And luckily for Swann, it is an area where WHSmith is the market leader. As we become a more mobile population, we are spending longer in rail stations and airports and if the Government's projections for travel growth are anything to go by, this is only going to increase.
WHSmith has a virtual monopoly in travel retail. It knows what it's doing, which suits the landlords because it means they make more from the turnover-based leases by having WHSmith in. Against this background, yesterday's deal with motorway service station operator Moto makes real sense for both sides.
Motorway service areas have traditionally been godforsaken places that have fleeced their customers for every penny, cashing in on the absence of a retail alternative. But, as Marks & Spencer's deal with Moto has shown, customers are more likely to stop if the service area offers familiar brands and sensible prices.
The motorist who wants a break or the long distance coach passenger desperate for something to read can't order online. For them, the WHSmith store at the service station will be the only option.
The deal is another example of how Swann is quietly transforming WHSmith. And, while the high street business plods along, travel retail continues to inject some excitement into the WHSmith story.
Today marks the end of the Sentencing Advisory Panel's consultation period on plans to axe the penalty of imprisonment for persistent shoplifters. Hundreds of Retail Week readers have taken part in our Take Retail Crime Seriously campaign. Those responses are with the panel, the Home Secretary and Lord Chancellor.
The plans have aroused stronger feelings than any other issue in retail for years and have united people from all branches of the industry, multiples and independents. Let's hope the politicians are listening.
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