(From the Daily Express 12 July2026)
At
least 52 Post Office branches are expected to shut by early October,
according to analysis of Post Office consultation documents by Better
Retailing. Many of the affected branches are in southern England,
although closures are also planned across the UK in locations including
York and Glamorgan. The Post Office is understood to be looking for
replacement locations so affected communities can still access services.
Morrisons
said the affected convenience stores had been unprofitable for some
time and were acquired through its McColls £190million rescue deal in
2022.
Avon Drive Post Office, 18 Avon Drive, Bedford, MK41 7AFBewdley Post Office, 7 Load Street, Bewdley, DY12 2AFBlackwater Post Office, 24 London Road, Blackwater, Camberley, GU17 9AABrigg Post Office, 8 Wrawby Street, Brigg, DN20 8ERBurpham Post Office, 214 London Road, Burpham, Guildford, GU4 7JSCalne Post Office, 21 Phelps Parade, Calne, SN11 0HAChalfont St Peter Post Office, 51-55 St Peters Court, Chalfont St Peter, Gerrards Cross, SL9 9QQChurch Road Post Office, 96 Church Road, Barnes, London, SW13 0DQClerkhill Post Office, Clerkhill Road, Peterhead, AB42 2XEColey Park Post Office, 56 Wensley Road, Coley Park, Reading, RG1 6DJCrown Wood Post Office, Crown Wood, Bracknell, RG12 0THDarras Hall Post Office, 25 The Broadway, Ponteland, Newcastle Upon Tyne, NE20 9PWDefoe Parade Post Office, 3 Defoe Parade, Grays, RM16 4QRDownend Post Office, 4 Downend Road, Downend, Bristol, BS16 5UJEdinburgh Road Post Office, 69-71 Edinburgh Road, Jarrow, NE32 4BBFairfax Avenue Post Office, 161 Fairfax Avenue, Hull, HU5 4QZFleet Post Office, 229 Fleet Road, Fleet, GU51 3HHGoldsworth Park Post Office, 5 Denton Way, Woking, GU21 3LGGreat Baddow Post Office, The Vineyards, Great Baddow, Chelmsford, CM2 7QSGreystoke Avenue Post Office, 12 Arnside Road, Southmead, Bristol, BS10 6ATGrove Hill Post Office, 3 Grove Hill Centre, Hemel Hempstead, HP2 6BJHallgrove Post Office, 10 Hallgrove, Welwyn Garden City, AL7 4PHHassocks Post Office, 44 Keymer Road, Hassocks, BN6 8ARHeatherside Post Office, 8 Heatherside Arcade, Heatherside, GU15 1AXHorley Post Office, Unit 4 Consort Way, Horley, RH6 7AFHundredstone Post Office, 53 Glenthorne Avenue, Yeovil, BA21 4PNIfield Drive Post Office, Ifield Drive, Crawley, RH11 0DQJansel Square Post Office, 35 Jansel Square, Aylesbury, HP21 7ETLeominster Post Office, 1-3 South Street, Leominster, HR6 8JALocks Bottom Post Office, 336-338 Crofton Road, Orpington, BR6 8NWLongfield Post Office, 69 Station Road, Longfield, DA3 7QALuton Post Office, 214 Luton Road, Chatham, ME4 5BSManston Drive Post Office, 3 Snowley Parade, Bishops Stortford, CM23 5EPMarshalswick Post Office, 29 The Quadrant, Marshalswick, St Albans, AL4 9REMontague Avenue Post Office, 53 Montague Avenue, Southampton, SO19 0QBMurch Post Office, The Parade, Dinas Powys, CF64 4NRNew Ash Green Post Office, 19-21 The Row, New Ash Green, Longfield, DA3 8JBNew Milton Post Office, 75-77 Station Road, New Milton, BH25 6JDNorth Parade Post Office, 16-18 North Parade, Chessington, KT9 1QFRadyr Post Office, 10 Station Road, Radyr, Cardiff, CF15 8AARiverview Park Post Office, 4-6 The Alma, Gravesend, DA12 4NGRochford Post Office, 14 West Street, Rochford, SS4 1AJShortstown Post Office, North Drive, Shortstown, Bedford, MK42 0TLStephenson Square Post Office, 10 Stephenson Square, Walsall, WS2 7DYSurbiton Post Office, 2-3 Victoria Road, Surbiton, KT6 4JUTaunton Road Post Office, 135 Taunton Road, Bridgwater, TA6 6BDThatcham Post Office, 54-55 The Broadway, Thatcham, RG19 3HPThe Neighbourhood Centre Post Office, 9 The Neighbourhood Centre, Poole, BH17 9DWThe Oval Post Office, 17-19 The Oval, Stevenage, SG1 5RAWest Park Post Office, 444 Crownhill Road, West Park, Plymouth, PL5 2QTWhipton Post Office, 352 Pinhoe Road, Exeter, EX4 8AJWoodthorpe Post Office, 51 Moorcroft Road, York, YO24 2RQ
I'll leave the experts to pick out which - if any- of these have Self-Service Kiosks (SSKs) and then I can make adjustments to the January Post & Go post.
This follows the announcement that Modella Capital's restructuring planes for its TG Jones (ex WH Smith) stores could see the closure of up to 60 stores. Some containing post offices - East Ham, Waltham Cross, Torquay, Hull, Ayr, Middleton and Solihul - are already earmarked for closure.
These are even more likely to have SSKs in as they often followed the closure of Crown or other major urban Post Offices.
No SSK's in any of those that I am aware of Ian
ReplyDeleteThanks Trevor; I agree it's less likely in Morrisons locals which are corner shops they bought from McColls who bought them from independents. TGJ/WHS are much more likely to have had SSKs.
DeleteIt is shocking that two of Gravesend's post offices will close. Those living nearby in Thong will have to travel some miles for first day covers, while readers from Hartley Bottom who want them will think 'Fawkham,' but there is already no post office there.
DeleteLars comment got me thinking, now we only have first and second class 'special stamps' (commemoratives for the old school amongst us) aren't RM missing a trick to get them to the masses by sending stock to the PO locals as well which mostly only stock first & second only anyway?
DeleteRM don't determine which POs get stocks of special stamps, POL do.
DeleteOr, more accurately, the situation in each PO (and customer demand) determines whether they take special stamps.
Allegedly, users prefer self-adhesives. Although I think social users would like 'pretty' stamps rather than the defintives.
Small 'Locals'. ie one counter position at the Co-op checkout will only have a small safe with no room for a rapid succession of special stamps.
If there is no demand (see 'Catch 22') then a SPM will often ask not to be sent any. In other cases as already cited by contributors to the blog, specials will be left in the safe until someone asks for them.
Anecdotally the manager in the Crown Office in Norwich used to have the specials returned to central stores as soon as they could be, ie on the day of issue, or next day, often unopened because no collectors asked for them.
Even offices which do get special stamps often got only one set of sheets or only the 1st class sheet and not the airmail ones.
And don't forget, out of the 11,500 alleged post offices, a good number are mobiles or outreach only open for a couple of hours a week if that. Not that that should stop them having specials, some outreach SPMs did take them especially to get rid of them, but such cases are rare.
But I agree, it would be a good opportunity for RM to persuade POL to increase customer delight by having something other than the King's head to put on greetings cards.