A British firm agreed to buy most of Elson’s.

W. H. Smith & Son (Holdings) PLC, the largest newspaper and book retailer and distributor in Britain, signed a definitive agreement to buy most of the Elson’s group of companies in the United States for $65 million. Elson’s, which sells goods ranging from convenience items to fine Belgian chocolates, pioneered a merchandising strategy that has become the prototype for gift shops in hotels and terminals worldwide. Elson’s stores, with 1,750 employees and sales of $100 million, are found in hotels, airports, office buildings and railroad stations.