Croydon (Parliament Politics Magazine) – The Post Office plans to close several High Street branches, sparking concerns about community impact, as part of a broader shift in retail strategy.
After completing a public survey, the Post Office is finally carrying out their original plan.
One of the Post Office’s justifications for disregarding the worries of its own patrons was that, since renovations to the Whitgift Centre won’t begin until 2028 at the latest, they might as well continue forward with their plan now.
Following the collapse of The Milan Bar ‘Spoons three years ago, the Post Office closing is yet another blow to the area of Croydon High Street from George Street towards the Town Hall, where Five Guys and Milletts have recently closed, along with Turtle Bay Caribbean restaurant.
Since then, none of the locations have reopened with new occupants.
Situated in a prime location beside the tram that rattles down George Street and into Church Street, the Croydon High Street Post Office is a stately, purpose-built structure that was constructed over a century ago. The Post Office’s survey contained no information on their plans for the building or their plans to preserve this piece of Croydon’s historic heritage.
Union bosses have called the closure of 115 Crown Post Offices, including Croydon’s, “immoral” and resulting in the loss of about 1,000 jobs.
The main post office in Croydon is almost always crowded, with large lines that the staff normally moves through quickly and effectively. In addition to selling postage stamps, they also handle pension payments, gas meter top-ups, after-hours banking, driving license and passport applications, and a variety of other quasi-governmental form-filling tasks that are necessary for living in 21st-century Britain.
With mail and financial services for around 6 million small businesses, the Post Office is or was the nation’s biggest store and frequently serves as a community pillar.
Martin Edwards, the “transformation delivery director” for the scandal-hit Post Office Ltd, wrote this morning:
“Following a period of local public consultation and review…”,
Ha! “we have made the decision to proceed with the move of [Croydon High Street] Post Office into TGJones retail store at Whitgift Centre, 34 North End, Croydon, CR0 1UB, where it will be known as Croydon branch and be run by our retail partner TGJones.
“I would like to thank everyone who took the time to let us have their comments and provide information…”,
even though they’ve ignored every word.
“All the feedback we received helped us to better understand the views of customers and their representatives and this was taken into account, along with all other relevant factors, in making our decision.”
It was obvious that the Post Office would only ever take into account one “factor.”
However, the Post Office likely believes that there is little opposition to its intentions when only 145 people participate in an online survey.
One of these is that the TGJones version of the Post Office will only have three customer assistance desks available, including two self-service desks.
Getting to the new location the store is only 200 yards away on North End access and space within the new location, staff and customer service, anti-social behavior, the Whitgift Center’s future, and service were some of the issues brought up by those who did make the effort to complete the consultation.
In respect of the uncertainty over the future of the Whitgift Centre, the Post Office’s response states:
“Whilst we are aware of proposed redevelopment schemes involving the Alders building, Centrale and Whitgift Shopping Centres, at present, planning consent for the Whitgift redevelopment has not been secured, and it is unlikely that any significant activity will begin before 2028, and the project is expected to be delivered in phases.”
Which, roughly translated, means: we ain’t gonna wait around for Westfield any longer…
“Post Office and our retail partner are committed to retaining Post Office services and will work with the landlord to maintain services in the local area,” they said.
One improvement to service will be revised opening hours, from the current 9am to 5.30pm Monday to Saturday, the new TGJones branch will also be open on Sundays (from 11am to 5pm).
“We remain confident that the layout and location of the new branch will continue to meet customer needs and deliver an excellent service, whilst securing the long-term viability of Post Office services in the local community,”
according to the Edwards letter.
“TGJones is currently finalizing refurbishment plans for your new branch which is due to open in March 2026,”
he continued.
The PO’s “franchise partner,” ZCO Ltd., will operate the present branch in the interim when it closes on Tuesday, November 25 at 3 p.m. and “reopens” the following day.
Neither Mayor Jason Perry of Croydon Council nor Sarah Jones, the local MP, made any submissions, according to the Post Office’s consultation report.
How will the move affect local Royal Mail services and hours?
The move of the Post Office from the High Street to the Whitgift Centre is anticipated to impact original Royal Mail services, particularly in terms of availability and opening hours. Generally, when a Post Office relocates to a lower, franchised branch within a retail store like WH Smith, the range of services offered may be more limited, and hours of operation may differ from the former devoted branch.
Reduced service hours, as the Whitgift Centre’s store hours could be shorter or less flexible than those of the original stage-alone branch. Slight detainments or vexation in penetrating certain services similar as passport renewals, fiscal deals, or larger parcel collections, which frequently bear devoted counters.
Still, the Post Office and Royal Mail generally aim to insure minimum dislocation by maintaining extended hours at the new position and furnishing updates through their websites and original notices.