Struggling Post Office is to close
Shutters will come down on business this month
A Perth Post Office will close its doors for the last time at the end of this month.
The Letham Post Office on the Fair City’s Rannoch Road will officially shut up shop at the end of March, after the landlord said it has been making a loss for a number of years and is no longer financially sustainable.
David Shek, the Post Office’s landlord, said: “The Letham Post Office will be closing at the end of the month because it is financially unsustainable. The Post Office has been making a loss over the years and we have a mortgage out on it but the rent is lower than the mortgage, so we are losing money.
“It is quite sad because we originally saved the Post Office from getting shut down because someone else was buying it to turn it into a chip shop but my sister and I got the money together to buy it as a Post Office. We have tried to keep it going for as long as we could, but we feel like we can no longer do that.
“I was going to close last year, but was asked to extend this until a new Post Office opened up.”
Mr Shek says he is hoping a new Post Office kiosk will open up in the newsagents on Jeanfield Road, opposite the main entrance to Perth Royal Infirmary.
He continued: “The Post Office already has a plan to put in a new one across from the hospital, and they are almost at the final stages of putting it in there.
“It will be a bit further from Letham to travel, but it is better than nothing.
“It is going to have an impact on everybody, which is very sad. I use it myself because I have a local business along the road.
“But there is no money to be made here - I spoke to the manager of the Coop [on Rannoch Road] and they didn’t want it because it makes a loss. People don’t realise I have put my own money into this Post Office.” Letham Post Office will shut at the end of the month
Councillor John Rebbeck, who represents the Letham area in the City North ward at Perth and Kinross Council, said he is disappointed the business cannot be kept open on Rannoch Road.
The SNP representative said: “The Post Office at Letham dispensed approximately £10 million annually over the counter and through the ATM and much of this was then spent in the local parade of shops.
“This ATM is the only one that I am aware of that supports Post Office debit cards and it is vital that we keep this service open for the community.
“The Post Office facility at Letham has a staff member, but doesn’t have a premises and we have been unsuccessful in persuading the Co-op to take on the additional business.”
A spokesperson for the Post Office apologised for the inconvenience the closure will cause.
They added: “Following the withdrawal of the premises for Post Office use, Letham Post Office will temporarily close on Friday, March 30.
Cllr John Rebbeck said it is vital a Post Office service is kept
“We know how important Post Office services are to people in Letham and we apologise to customers for any inconvenience caused.
“Any customers wishing to access Post Office services may do so from any convenient Post Office branch, including Oakbank Post Office, Craigie Post Office and Muirton Post Office.
“We would like to assure customers that we are currently investigating the options available which will enable us to reinstate a Post Office service to the local community and we currently have an interested party who is progressing through our recruitment application process.
“At this stage we are unable to provide any further information until the application process has been completed.’’