City centre post office closure is on the cards
MOVE INTO STATIONERY SHOP WOULD BE MORE ‘CONVENIENT’ FOR CUSTOMERS
THE main Post Office in Nottingham city centre is expected to close due to “unprecedented changes” in the high street, it has been confirmed.
The branch in Queen Street could move into a Whsmith store in a move to adapt to the needs of customers.
There are two Whsmith stories in the city, one in intu Victoria Centre and one in Lister Gate.
Whsmith currently runs 135 post offices throughout the country and under this agreement a further 40 are planned to be moved into the stationery shops in 2019.
The Post Office said the move would support the long-term sustainability of its branches and provide longer opening hours for its customers.
Network and sales director Roger Gale said: “Whsmith and Post Office have worked together successfully for more than a decade and our collaboration helps to secure our services on high streets for years to come.
“We’re continuing to respond to unprecedented change on high streets and in consumer trends.
“By adapting to the needs of customers, we’re making sure post offices will matter as much tomorrow as they do today, with services available when and where people want them, in convenient locations and open for longer hours, including Sundays.
“We’ve made significant changes in our network of 11,500 post offices over the past few years, modernising more than 7,500 branches and increasing opening hours for customers by more than 200,000 a week.
“We’ve also developed our services, including the introduction of everyday banking for customers of the UK’S high street banks. “The vast majority of the Post Office’s network of 11,500 post office branches, large and small, are run on a franchise or agency basis with retailers as part of thriving businesses. It makes sense to further expand this successful, sustainable way of providing Post Office services to customers.” The Post Office said there would be a six-week public consultation before any move went ahead. Whsmith said it could not comment before the consultation. Reacting to the news, Kelly Jones, 69, a retired midwife, of West Bridgford, said: “I don’t like it at all. I like the post office where it is.
“I don’t know whether it’s because people can do more online but this is a very busy post office, so I don’t get it.”
We’re making sure Post Offices will matter as much tomorrow as they do today
Roger Gale