More than a third of Post Office branches within TG Jones stores will close under the High Street retailer’s widespread restructuring plans, according to a report by the Guardian.

The newspaper said that cities such as Hull and York will lose two Post Offices within months under the plans, while Telford will lose its last Post Office in January.

Branches have been steadily shuttered throughout 2026, with Post Office records showing closures have already reached 36 branches across the UK. A further 34 are within TG Jones stores set to close by early 2027.

Modella Capital acquired WHSmith’s High Street business in June 2025, in a £76 million deal that saw it take over the travel retailer’s 480 stores. At the time, these sites employed approximately 5,000 employees.

One year on, the private equity firm warned that it faced insolvency without High Court support for its restructuring plans, which it received the next day. for a restructuring plan that will see it close up to 150 former WHSmith stores. To date, approximately 65 have closed.

Mole Meade, a senior member at the largest union for postal workers the CWU, told the Guardian that the negative impacts of the closures could be widespread.

“What we are seeing with the TG Jones closures is the continuation of a long-term strategy of cutting costs and chasing profit, with little regard for the communities that depend on post office services,” Meade said.

“The CWU believes the Post Office should be focused on protecting and expanding access to services, not presiding over a continued reduction of the network.”

Written evidence supplied by Post Office Ltd to the UK government’s Housing, Communities, Local Government Select Committee in September underlined the potential impact of Post Office closures on small and medium businesses (SMEs).

The organisation said that the “value of convenience” its network provides to SMEs totals almost £1.3 billion per year, and that small business leaders have warned that losing local Post Office access would threaten the viability of their business within months.

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