South Korean retail solutions provider Solum has partnered with UK-based travel retailer WHSmith to deploy its electronic shelf label (ESL) systems in flagship stores at London Heathrow Airport Terminals 3, 4, and 5. The move marks Solum’s first major reference in the global travel retail channel, a high-traffic environment where pricing accuracy and operational efficiency are critical for beauty, health, and convenience goods.
Partnership scope
Solum is supplying its Newton PRO ESL to WHSmith’s new flagship stores at Heathrow, with plans to expand across the retailer’s UK travel retail locations. WHSmith operates over 1,200 stores across 30 countries, including airports, railway stations, and hospitals, selling food, beverages, health and beauty products, books, and electronics. The retailer has a network of more than 600 airport locations worldwide.
Product features
Newton PRO supports real-time wireless updates for pricing and promotions, long battery life, high durability, and programmable buttons for flexible store operations. These features are designed to handle frequent price changes and high customer traffic typical of travel retail environments.
Strategic significance
A Solum representative said: "This project is significant not for short-term revenue but as our first major reference in the global travel retail channel." The company expects the Heathrow flagship to help attract additional global clients. When asked why Solum was chosen over competitors, the representative cited longer battery life, faster update speeds, and superior durability.
What buyers should watch
Solum is in discussions to extend its solution across WHSmith’s global store network and is exploring additional digital store solutions such as digital signage. For medical aesthetics distributors and clinic buyers, this signals growing demand for digital retail infrastructure in high-traffic channels where beauty and health products are sold. Suppliers of aesthetic devices, injectables, and skincare may benefit from improved pricing accuracy and operational efficiency in travel retail settings.
Source: Read the original report | Published: June 10, 2026