Popular Post Office forced to close after losing money

A POPULAR Post Office store that was the ‘lifeline of the community’ has been closed after it was ‘no longer viable’ to keep it open after losing money.
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The shop, in the Londis store on Sultan Road, Buckland, was forced to close its doors for the last time last month after the owner was having to stump up cash to pay for it himself.

But locals say they have been left ‘high and dry’ by the closure which has forced people to travel to North End to go to the Post Office.

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Pensioner Ian Bell, 67, said he was disappointed by the announcement and says he now has to undertake a round trip of more than half an hour in his mobility scooter to use the North End Post Office.

Picture: PAPicture: PA
Picture: PA

He said: ‘Having the Post Office so close was very convenient for me and others who are disabled or who are not able to get around very well.

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‘It’s a struggle for me to travel very far even in my mobility scooter. Before it would be just a short trip to the shop but now it takes me quite a long time and is a lot of effort.

‘It was a place where you could do your bits like take out your pension but it was also a place where you would meet people in the community and have a chat. People are likely to become more isolated in the area now.

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‘I understand the Post Office is struggling all around the country but it is a real shame they keep having to close.’

The Londis shop has now been renovated and is set to have a hairdressers in the premises where the Post Office once was.

A spokesperson for the shop said: ‘Unfortunately it was not viable to keep it open any longer. We tried our best to keep it open and were losing money for a long time. In the end we were having to pay out of our pockets to keep it going.

‘It is a national trend with the Post Office – they have been shutting everywhere for years. It’s a shame but in the end it was impossible to keep it open.’

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