ST HELENS town centre's WH Smith will shut up shop for good this Saturday.

The Star reported last year that the store would close and a note posted on the Church Street shop window reads: "This store will be closing as of Saturday, February 15 at 4pm.

"We apologise for any inconvenience this may cause.

"Your closest WH Smith store will now be at Widnes."

High rental charges from landlords and the changing shape of shopping patterns – in particularly buying over the internet, competition from supermarkets, and new technologies such as e-books and tablets – are all suspected as reasons to why the store is pulling out.

A spokeswoman for WH Smith said last year: “Unfortunately we are unable to continue to trade viably from this location and the decision has been taken to close the store at this time because of the forthcoming lease expiry.”