Town set to lose Post Office as convenience store shuts

A town is set to lose its Post Office services after a supermarket chain announced the planned closure of its convenience store.

The store which hosts the Post Office counter in Woodley in Berkshire became a Morrisons Daily in November 2024.

Morrisons confirmed last month that it planned to close of about 100 Morrisons Daily stores across the country. It said the store on Crockhamwell Road was due to shut on 12 July, with Post Office services likely to cease by the end of June.

A Post Office spokesperson said they recognised "the inconvenience this will cause our customers".

Residents have expressed concern about the loss of the Post Office which also allows customers to pay bills and carry out banking transactions, such as deposits and withdrawals.

Charlie Langdale told the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS), he was unaware of the planned closure.

"If you don't live near Woodley town centre, it's a bit of a journey," he said.

Another customer, a retired woman, said: "I've just come in to pay my gas bill.

"It used to be run very well. The old owners were good."

"When it [the closure] happens, we won't have a Post Office, and we won't have a bank."

A Post Office spokesperson said: "We have been informed by Morrison's that following a review they are proposing to take the difficult decision to close the Morrisons Daily store where Woodley Post Office is located.

They added that they would "welcome applications from nearby retailers looking to host a Post Office inside their store," and that "we fully recognise the inconvenience this will cause our customers who rely on our banking and parcel services in particular".

Morrisons said: "The performance of all company owned stores across our Convenience business is subject to continuous review.

"Having completed the review, we are now proposing to take the tough but necessary decision to close a number of these stores over the next few months."

Its announcement last month cited "significant cost increases resulting from government policy choices", including increases to the national living wage and National Insurance.

The supermarket chain said the affected convenience stores had been loss-making for some time and were acquired through its McColls acquisition in 2022.

Alternative Post Offices are located at The Parade in Brecon Road and Wheelers Green at the end of Drovers Way.