WH Smith sale plan could turn some areas into ‘postal deserts’, says union
WH Smith sale plan could turn some areas into ‘postal deserts’, says union
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Retailer operates 200 post offices and potential closures called ‘devastating, but sadly all too predictable’. The planned sale of WH Smith’s high street stores could turn some communities into “postal deserts” because 200 post offices are operated in the retailer’s shops, a union has warned.
“These potential closures are devastating, but they are sadly all too predictable,” the Communication Workers Union said. “For far too long, certain communities are being turned into postal deserts, and bad economic decisions are eroding high streets up and down the country.
“Just like the Horizon scandal, Post Office staff are being put at the bottom of the pecking order – these workers and the communities they serve deserve an end to this instability.”. The comments come as bosses from the UK-listed retailer WH Smith – which sells a wide array of products including magazines, books, stationery, toys, cards and confectionery – consider the potential £100m sale of the entire 500-store high street chain in order to focus on the expansion of its outlets in travel locations, such as train stations and airports, in the UK and internationally.
It is understood that changes introduced in the budget, including an increase in employers’ national insurance contributions, did not play a part in the decision to sell the high street business. However, falling shopper numbers and rising costs, including on wages and business rates, have weighed on all high street retailers in recent years, eroding their profitability.
