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High street chain WH Smith could slash as many as 1,500 jobs in a bid to tackle the financial hit from the coronavirus pandemic. 

The company said it would be reviewing roles across its high street and travel businesses. 

The WH Smith group said it expected a headline loss of up to £75m before tax for the financial year ending August 31. 

It comes after the retailer reported a 57% drop in sales in July, compared to the same month in 2019. 

Chief executive Carl Cowling said that while there had been a small uptick in business on the high street, recovery continued “to be adversely affected by low levels of footfall”. 

“As a result, we now need to take further action to reduce costs across our businesses,” he said.

“I regret that this will have an impact on a significant number of colleagues whose roles will be affected by these necessary actions, and we will do everything we can to support them at this challenging time.”