Patchway post office and Co-op to close
Staff at the post office in Patchway were left devastated when they were told it would be closing in March.
The Co-op convenience store which houses the branch in Coniston Road will also shut its doors, blaming "poor trading performance".
The supermarket hopes to find a new home in Patchway for the post office, which is profitable and well used.
If an alternative base cannot found, the nearest post office would be almost one-and- a-half miles away in Bradley Stoke.
A total of 14 full and part-time jobs could be lost when the shop and post office close but staff, who were told about the plans on Tuesday, could be relocated elsewhere.
One woman who cares for elderly people who use the Patchway post office said other branches were too far away.
The customer, who asked not to be named, said: "This will have a massive effect.
"I look after a couple of ladies and take them to the post office to get their benefits and the staff really look after them.
"When I went into the branch on Tuesday, all the ladies working there were upset.
"Some of the employees were crying their eyes out.
"It's part of the community and it's always heaving in there.
"The elderly customers will struggle to get to the branches in Bradley Stoke and Filton.
Vanessa Collis, manager of the post office in Patchway, said: "We were all very upset. We were told at 9am and expected to just get on with our jobs. We are always very busy and one of the best post offices in the region.
"We are profitable post office but we wouldn't be able to sustain such a big unit without the Co-op shop here.
"I've worked here for 10 years and we were taken over by the Co-op three or four years ago. There's always been a post office here."
The convenience store will close on January 28 while the post office will close on March 3.
A spokeswoman for the Co-operative Group said: "Every effort will be made to relocate staff to other Co-operative stores in the area.
"The Co-operative is hoping to relocate the post office elsewhere in Patchway, and is seeking a suitable location.
"The closure decision was taken with the greatest reluctance and much regret, and was due to the store's poor trading performance."
9 Comments
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by Pete, Patchway
Thursday, January 08 2009, 10:57AM
“This is totally ridiculous first they shut down the parade post office and now they are closing down the roundabouts one how can this possibly help anyone all it is going to cause is more problems.”
by josh, patchway
Tuesday, January 06 2009, 6:32PM
“Yet again Patchway is losing out. The Co-Op never had any intentions of re-locating the Post Office. Clearly the poor staff are under the illusion that it will be.
I feel sorry for all the staff in the shop and the Post Office as they are such a support to all the elderly residents of Patchway. This closeur is going to have a massive effect on our town!! Another run down empty shop awaits us!!!”
by unempolyed in patchway!!, bristol
Monday, January 05 2009, 4:46PM
“It comes to something when an extremely busy and profitable post office can be closed without,so much as a moments notice!!!
As for relocation we were happy with where it is, thankyou very much!
Can the Patchway community really take any more knocks to its local economy?
i think not...
The post office itself has seen many changes but the locals have stayed with it and supported it no matter what.
How can we help now?
What do we have to do to let companies such as the co-operative know that we will not stand for this shabby treatment !
How can we as a community ensure that we save our post office and enable our most vunerable community members to rest assured it will still be within walking distance.”
by Jon, littlestoke
Monday, January 05 2009, 4:27PM
“Loss of our local post office will put our elderly people into more financial difficulty, who is going to pay for the transport to get these people to their local post office which is at least a mile? Co-op should arrange a free service untill a suitable unit as been found to re-house our Post Office.
Most of the staff within Co-op and the Post Office have families and to drop this on them at this time of the year is digusting when they have proberly known for months that this store as been struggling. I take my hat off to these girls at the Post Office how can you work and still smile after you have been told your going to lose your job.
Talk about being part of the community load of *******
CO-OP BE ASHAMED OF YOURSELVES”
by Bekki, Bristol
Sunday, January 04 2009, 6:02PM
“Let's just remember here that it's not just the Post Office closing but also the staff instore are losing their jobs too! As bad as it is for the Post Office (and it is devastating), at least they get until the end of March - the instore staff have until the 28th January.”