CD singles discarded by WH Smith

UK High Street retailer WH Smith is to dump the CD single.

The group, which recently announced sliding profits and possible job cuts, said sales have been evaporating for some time.

But it said the move did not mean it was cutting back on other entertainment products such as games and DVDs.

"We are committed to entertainment retailing," a spokeswoman told BBC News Online, saying that CD album sales were on the up.

WH Smith has found itself facing stiff competition in several of its key markets by price-cutting campaigns at supermarkets.

But it has not been the only retailer to suffer from the decline in single sales.

Across the industry as a whole, British Phonographic Industry (BPI) figures suggest only 36.5 million singles were sold in 2003, a 31% slide.

Album sales, on the other hand, were up 5.6% as prices fell, despite industry complaints about online song-swapping.