Fears Post Office closure could be death knell for Oldham town centre

WH Smith has confirmed that its store in the Spindles Shopping Centre (pictured above), which has operated the Post Office service since 2019, will be shutting down from May 3

The closure of a WH Smith branch in Oldham has sparked fears the town centre will permanently lose its only Post Office.

Local MP Jim McMahon has warned the loss would cause a ‘huge disruption’ and called for government support to help save the Post Office branch. 

WH Smith confirmed its Spindles Shopping Centre location, which has operated the Post Office service since 2019, will be shutting down from May 3, 2025.

Staff affected by the change are due to be offered jobs at other stores, according to Oldham Council. 

Mr McMahon argued it was the service’s adoption by a private franchise that had ‘left it vulnerable’ to closure – and called for the return of a ‘standalone’ Post Office in the town centre. 

The town hall, which bought the Spindles shopping centre for £9.5m in 2019, claims there are ‘several inquiries’ from other shopping chains looking to take over the service.

A Post Office spokesperson added that the vacancy for the operator role is ‘already being advertised’ and that the organisation is ‘looking at options’. 

A WH Smith spokesperson said: “We can confirm that the WHSmith store in Oldham will be closing in May.

"It is no longer sustainable to continue to trade from this location and the decision has been taken to close the store as a result of the forthcoming lease expiry.  

“We are disappointed to be losing our presence in Oldham and we would like to thank all our customers for their support and for shopping with us.

"We are also extremely grateful for the commitment of our in store colleagues who we will support with this transition.”

The nearest alternative Post Office branches are on Lee Street and Hardy Street.

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