Morrisons has confirmed that its store in Woodley, Berkshire, which also houses the town's last remaining post office, will close permanently on July 12. The closure will leave residents without a local post office, as the facility is expected to cease operations by the end of the month.
Community reaction to the closure
Residents have expressed frustration and concern over the loss of essential services. Charlie Langdale, a local resident, said: "If you don't live near Woodley town centre it's a bit of a journey, but oh well. I just heard that it was just the post office that was closing. There's a shop with a post office down Drovers Way, and another in Brecon Road. Never mind, we've mounted bigger obstacles and got over it. It's just convenient here, isn't it?"
Another resident, who was unaware of the proposed closure, said: "What are we supposed to do for banking and the Post Office then? What are we supposed to do? Go into Reading? That's ridiculous."
Post Office and Morrisons respond
A Post Office spokesperson acknowledged the inconvenience, stating that the organisation "fully recognises" the impact on customers. A Morrisons spokesperson explained: "The performance of all company-owned stores across our Convenience business is subject to continuous review. Having completed the review, we are now proposing to take the tough but necessary decision to close a number of these stores over the next few months."
The Woodley store, which became a Morrisons Daily in November 2024, has housed a post office since the early 1960s, providing essential postal services to the community for decades.
