Hungerford's Post Office in TG Jones is expected to close in late December or early January. Operators have until 29 October to register. Thatcham's replacement is in onboarding.

Hungerford’s Post Office counter, inside the TG Jones shop, is expected to close in late December or early January. No one has yet been found to run a replacement.

That is the latest from Post Office Ltd, as reported by Newbury MP Lee Dillon in an update on his website on Tuesday 20 October.

The Post Office has readvertised the chance to run the Hungerford branch. Anyone interested must formally register by Thursday 29 October.

In Thatcham, where the Broadway branch shut on 4 October, the news is more hopeful. An applicant “is continuing to make progress through the onboarding process”, the MP said.

Hungerford: what has been said

The branch is operated by TG Jones, the chain that took over WHSmith’s high street shops. In July Mr Dillon wrote that TG Jones was going through a Restructuring Plan. It had told the Post Office that changes to its business “may affect the operation of the Hungerford branch”.

At that point no closure had been decided. The October update goes further:

  • “The current expectation is that the existing branch will close in late December or early January.”
  • The search for a new operator “is continuing”.
  • Post Office Ltd “has readvertised the opportunity and has already been in contact with another potential applicant”.
  • Interested operators must “formally register their interest by 29 October”.

The Post Office has not yet published a closure notice for Hungerford on its consultation site, where it records branch changes. We checked on 25 October and found none. That notice is where a confirmed date, and the nearest alternative branches, will appear.

Thatcham: an applicant in onboarding

Thatcham town centre lost its counter on Sunday 4 October, when Morrisons closed the Morrisons Daily on The Broadway that housed it. We covered the closure and the alternatives at the time.

The MP’s update says an applicant is now going through the Post Office’s onboarding process. He called that “encouraging”, but added that “there are still steps to complete before anything can be confirmed”. No site or opening date has been named.

Until then, the nearest counters are at Northfield Road in Thatcham and in Cold Ash. The banking hub on The Broadway continues to offer counter banking, but it does not provide postal services.

What it means for you

In Hungerford: nothing changes yet. The counter in TG Jones is open as normal until a closure date is confirmed. The expected window of late December or early January overlaps the last weeks of Christmas posting, so check before you rely on it then.

If you run a shop in or near Hungerford and could host a counter, register by 29 October through the Post Office’s Run a Post Office site.

In Thatcham: use Northfield Road or Cold Ash for parcels, stamps and other postal services. For cash and banking, the hub on The Broadway is the nearest option.

If you want to raise a concern: Mr Dillon says he will keep working with Post Office Ltd and local businesses, and his office takes residents’ views through his website.

We will update this page when the Post Office publishes a notice for either town.

Sources