Loss-making post office could close

A post office which has been in East Sussex for nearly 100 years is under threat of closure.

The post office in Devonshire Square, Bexhill, is one of 115 sites across the country which could shut because it is losing money.

Residents in Bexhill said it would be a "disaster" if the town's main post office closed.

The Post Office said no decisions have been made yet on closing any sites and it was exploring franchising out branches to keep them open.

"It's not a good thing if these places close, particularly because so many of the banks are closing," said resident Laurence Stringer.

Mr Stringer said he uses post offices and banks far less than he used to.

He added: "You can see why they're closing because they haven't got the footfall going in."

Ann Lewis, another resident, said: "It's very sad, a lot of people aim at the post office for somebody to talk to and the counter service is good. Too much is closing down at the moment."

James Pang, co-owner of Famous Collectables, said: "We use it every day to send and receive items. It will be devastating and really affect the town."

A Post Office spokesperson said: "Post Office is considering a range of initiatives to boost revenue, drive efficiency and reduce costs. As part of this process, we are considering the future of our Directly Managed Branches (DMBs), which are loss making.

"We invited expressions of interest to operate Post Offices in all remaining DMB locations, including for Bexhill, to gauge market interest and explore whether franchising could be a viable option," they said.

"We want to ensure that we make the best decisions for the future of each of our DMBs, helping to strengthen the network for the benefit of customers and postmasters."

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