Inverness’s Queensgate city centre Post Office to close its doors and relocate to within the Co-op supermarket in the Highland capital’s neighbouring Church Street
Inverness's main Post Office is to close and relocate inside a local supermarket, the Courier can reveal.
Questions have been swirling over the future of the Queensgate branch of the Post Office ever since the company announced plans back in April to franchise out its last remaining directly-managed sites.
The vast majority of the Post Office's 11,500 UK branches are already operated by franchisees - individuals or other companies - on behalf of the postal giant.
But 108 of the company's key sites were still run ‘in-house’ - including Inverness city centre’s. That was until the announcement this spring that it was looking to offload those 108 too and would not commit to maintaining them on their present sites - promising instead only that the public would “continue to be able to access Post Office services either at, or near to, the same location”.
This immediately sparked speculation that the large Queensgate branch, which has operated from the same spot since the 19th century, could shutter its doors and move elsewhere.
And the possibility that the branch might close and relocate somewhere else within the city centre has now been borne out after rumours of a flit inside the nearby Co-op in Church Street were confirmed.
A new building warrant lodged with Highland Council by the Co-op last week sought approval for a £20,000 store refit that includes the "relocation of bakery and [a] new post office".
Given the incredibly close proximity of the Church Street Co-op store to the Queensgate branch, it seemed highly unlikely that the two would operate in tandem.
And the Post Office confirmed its plan to relocate when approached by the Courier on Tuesday.
The move will be subject to the conclusion of a consultation period, and the Post Office stressed that its existing Queensgate staff will “have the opportunity to TUPE across to continue to work at the relocated branch”.
Confirming the news, a Post Office spokesperson said: “Post Office is proposing to move Inverness Post Office to the nearby Co-operative Food retail store at 59 Church Street,, where it would be run by our retail partner, Co-op.
“Post Office Limited recently announced it is moving to a fully franchised network, as part of our wider commitment to deliver a ‘New Deal for Postmasters’. Over 99 per cent of the Post Office network is already successfully operated on a franchise basis by carefully selected retail partners. We are confident this would create a long-term, sustainable future for post offices in communities across the UK, including Inverness.
“Co-op and Post Office have a long-established partnership. There are around 200 Post Offices operating from Co-op stores across the UK, with the leading convenience retailer agreeing to accommodate Inverness Post Office, subject to public consultation.
“Co-op’s Church Street store is soon set to embark on a major refurbishment programme to transform the customer shopping experience, with plans to relaunch the store with a fresh new-look at the end of October.
“This Co-operative Food retail store is close to the current Inverness Post Office at 14-16 Queensgate. The same wide range of Post Office services would still be available. The Co-op store already provides convenient access to cash via an ATM.”
The proposed Post Office trading hours will be 9am to 5.30pm on weekdays and 9am to 12.30pm on Saturdays. The hours would mean an earlier opening on a Tuesday morning than Inverness Post Office currently.
It is understood the Co-ops new dedicated Post Office area would be located at the left of the store and feature three counters.
Consultation will open tomorrow (August 20) and will close on October 1. Customers can share their views during the consultation online at postofficeviews.co.uk with the branch code 002840.
Submissions can also be made via email to comments@postoffice.co.uk, by post to Freepost YOUR COMMENTS, or by telephone 03452 66 01 15 or Textphone 03457 22 33 55.
News of the probable relocation is likely to be greeted with frustration and disappointment by local residents and politicians, who have previously hit out at the prospect that the Queensgate Post Office could be lost.
News of the probable relocation is likely to be greeted with frustration and disappointment by local residents and politicians, who have previously hit out at the prospect that the Queensgate Post Office could be lost.