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‘Where do we go now?’, shoppers fume as exact date town centre Post Office to close for final time is revealed
Locals in the area will be left without a Post Office
SHOPPERS are furious after a town centre Post Office revealed the exact date it would close for good.
The branch in Hobley Parade, Swindon, confirmed it would pull down the shutters on August 30.
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After a review of services in the area, the Post Office announced it would not be seeking a replacement.
Unfortunately, it means residents in Stratton St Margret will be left without a Post Office, reports.
Instead, locals will have to visit the branches in Beechcroft Road in Upper Stratton or Covingham Square, Covingham to access the over-the-counter services.
Matthew Vallender, ward councillor, shared the news from the Post Office on his Facebook page.
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He added that he would be doing "all he could" to bring a branch back to the area.
He wrote: "I will shortly be reaching out to local businesses to see if there are any expressions of interest to bring a Post Office back to Stratton.
"I’ll continue to do everything I can on my end to try and bring a Post Office back to Stratton."
Despite Matthew's attempts, there are no signs that a branch will reappear in the area any time soon.
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A Post Office spokesperson said: "The Post Office has undertaken a comprehensive review of the network to ensure that it continues to meet evolving customer needs in a very challenging economic climate.
"At this time, therefore, we are not looking to replace Stratton St Margaret Post Office.
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"We apologise for the inconvenience this closure may cause. We hope our customers will continue to use Post Office services."
The Swindon branch has served customers for just under two years, having opened inside the in September 2022.
Yet, these residents aren't the only ones to lose a Post Office the community relies on.
Locals in Islingword Road, in Brighton, were devastated after hearing their branch would close for good.
Fans dubbed it the "hub and heart" of their community and were disappointed to see it leave after the postmaster resigned.
However, it is understood the site will reopen, under new ownership.
But there is no opening date or more information available as of yet.
One heartbroken Post Office regular vented their frustration on social media.
They wrote: "A devastating loss it is true though, and one can only hope the local community is able to recover in time."
"That will be a great loss to the local community. It’s a popular place," added another.
A third disheartened local agreed: "Used to use this quite a lot when I lived in Brighton, way better than another much closer to where I lived. This will be a big loss indeed."
Following the closure, residents' nearest Post Office branches are in Lewes Road, St George's Road, St James's Street and London Road, all in Brighton.
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It comes after a much loved high street icon Marks & Spencer has confirmed one of its foodhalls is set to close in the coming months.
And a major home improvement brand trading out of John Lewis stores has collapsed into administration impacting hundreds of customers.
Why are retailers closing stores?
RETAILERS have been feeling the squeeze since the pandemic, while shoppers are cutting back on spending due to the soaring cost of living crisis.
High energy costs and a move to shopping online after the pandemic are also taking a toll, and many high street shops have struggled to keep going.
The high street has seen a whole raft of closures over the past year, and more are coming.
The number of jobs lost in British retail dropped last year, but 120,000 people still lost their employment, figures have suggested.
Figures from the Centre for Retail Research revealed that 10,494 shops closed for the last time during 2023, and 119,405 jobs were lost in the sector.
It was fewer shops than had been lost for several years, and a reduction from 151,641 jobs lost in 2022.
The centre's director, Professor Joshua Bamfield, said the improvement is "less bad" than good.
Although there were some big-name losses from the high street, including Wilko, many large companies had already gone bust before 2022, the centre said, such as Topshop owner Arcadia, Jessops and Debenhams.
"The cost-of-living crisis, inflation and increases in interest rates have led many consumers to tighten their belts, reducing retail spend," Prof Bamfield said.
";Retailers themselves have suffered increasing energy and occupancy costs, staff shortages and falling demand that have made rebuilding profits after extensive store closures during the pandemic exceptionally difficult."
Alongside Wilko, which employed around 12,000 people when it collapsed, 2023's biggest failures included Paperchase, Cath Kidston, Planet Organic and Tile Giant.
The Centre for Retail Research said most stores were closed because companies were trying to reorganise and cut costs rather than the business failing.
However, experts have warned there will likely be more failures this year as consumers keep their belts tight and borrowing costs soar for businesses.
The Body Shop and Ted Baker are the biggest names to have already collapsed into administration this year.
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