TG Jones Post Office Closures Accelerate Across Towns and Cities

More than a third of the post offices located inside TG Jones stores are slated to shut, adding to a wave of high-street withdrawals that began after private-equity group Modella acquired the chain last year and renamed it from its former WH Smith identity. Post Office records analysed by the Guardian show that 36 TG Jones branches have already closed this year, with a further 34 scheduled to close by early 2027. In total, 110 TG Jones locations have announced closures, including 70 that house post offices. The restructuring plan, approved by Modella’s creditors in July, originally covered 180 post offices; analysts now expect up to 150 of the 450 stores acquired by Modella to shut, of which 65 have already closed and at least another 46 are set to cease operating early next year.

The Guardian

The closures leave towns such as Stevenage, Bracknell and Orpington, and cities including Hull and York, each losing two post offices within months. Smaller locales like Telford face the loss of their last branch in January. The Post Office has highlighted that almost a third of small- and medium-sized businesses use their local branch at least weekly, and more than half do so monthly; losing that access threatens business viability within months. The loss of former crown post offices—once full-service hubs for identity checks, passport services, driving licences and banking—has been described as creating “postal deserts” that could damage local economies.

The Guardian

The state-owned Post Office acknowledged the challenging trading conditions for TG Jones and said it has proactively sought expressions of interest from postmasters and partners to take over any locations slated for closure. It noted that in some sites there are “over 40 applications” from postmasters recognizing the footfall a post office generates, and affirmed a commitment to replace every branch that closes.

The Guardian

• “The CWU believes the Post Office should be focused on protecting and expanding access to services, not presiding over a continued reduction of the network.” — The Post Office — The Post Office

The Guardian