Woolwich’s post office is looking for a new home after WH Smith announced plans to close its town centre store in the spring.
The “closing down” signs are already up at the shop in Powis Street, which is to cease trading with its lease running out, the stationery and convenience chain said.
The Post Office said that it was already advertising to find shopkeepers that might be interested in taking on the branch.
WH Smith had run the operation since 2008, when the distinctive red-brick crown post office on the corner of Woolwich New Road and Thomas Street was closed to make way for the Tesco development.
The demise of the Woolwich branch is separate from the closure programme announced this week, as the company switches focus to more profitable stores in stations, airports and hospitals.
The Greenwich Wire understands that the last day of trading is expected to be April 12, although this has not been confirmed.
A spokesperson for WH Smith told The Greenwich Wire: “We can confirm that the WH Smith store in Woolwich will be closing in April. 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 Woolwich 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 and redeploy to nearby stores, where possible.”
The Post Office said: “The operator for Woolwich Post Office has resigned as WH Smith has made the difficult decision to close the store where the branch is based.
“A vacancy to operate Woolwich Post Office has been advertised on our runapostoffice.co.uk website and we are keen to hear from retailers in the area who may be interested in also operating a Post Office branch.”
News of the closure comes as work progresses on Greenwich Council’s revamp of Powis Street, which had been briefly held up last year after the original contractor collapsed.
New paving and seating has been installed at the eastern end of the street, with work continuing both on Powis Street and on nearby Beresford Square.
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