What does WH Smith’s new high street name TGJones actually mean?

New owner Modella says made-up moniker aims to evoke ‘sense of family’, but brand experts unconvinced

• WH Smith name to disappear from high street in agreed £76m sale to Modella
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The news of the disappearance of the WH Smith name from British high streets after 233 years has rapidly been supplanted by a question: who, or perhaps what, is its replacement TGJones?

Included in the announcement from the new owner, Modella Capital, which has acquired the 480-store high street chain for just £76m, is the detail that after a “short transitional period” visitors to its shops will be greeted with the fictitious “family” brand name.