The Post Office Confirm They Will Relocate Their Henblas Street Branch

After months of speculation and a public consultation, the Post Office have today confirmed they will be relocating their large town centre branch.

The Post Office, which is one of the few remaining occupied units on Henblas Street, will relocate to the first floor of WH Smith on Hope Street in August.

The new branch will be on the first floor, which the Post Office state is accessible by lift or stairs, and will have five counters and two self-service kiosks, with opening hours from 9am until 5:30pm Monday to Friday and 9am until 3p, on Saturday.

Initial plans for the relocation of the Henblas Street Post Office were unveiled in April 2016, when the Crown Post Office unveiled they had signed a ten year deal with WH Smith.

Under the agreement it was proposed 61 stores nationwide were moved into the nearest WH Smith store – with the Henblas Street branch considered for such a move.

A six week public consultation was later launched along with a drop in session in Wrexham for those who wished to learn more about the proposals.

However despite criticism from local MP Ian Lucas and online comments, the Post Office confirmed today that the Henblas Street branch would be relocating 160 metres around the corner to Hope Street.

Regarding the public consultation, details released by the Post Office on the proposed  move state: “We have listened carefully to people’s views and recognise that some customers, particularly wheelchair users and those with limited mobility, would like reassurance about how easy it will be for them to get to the new Post Office area; before the move we will contact local disability groups to take them through the layout of the new branch.

“The lift can take up to eight passengers and is large enough to accommodate wheelchair users, and it will be fully refurbished prior to the move.  If any customer is unable to access the first floor, alternative arrangements will be made to serve them on the ground floor.”

The new branch will be known as Wrexham Crown Post Office and continue to be operated by Post Office Ltd.

Roger Gale, General Manager for the Post Office’s Crown branch network said that the change would help to ensure the branch is commercially viable into the future and therefore protect Post Office services on which customers in Wrexham depend.

“Our customers’ needs continue to change and we are responding to that, taking the right action to sustain our services for years to come,” said Mr Gale.

“We believe the WHSmith premises will provide an excellent host location for the new Crown Post Office. The service will still be run by us and you’ll be served by the same branch team. The WHSmith retail offer will complement the wide range of Post Office products and services, which will continue to be available following the move.”

He added: “We are committed to remaining on high streets and at the heart of communities and we are making changes right across our network to enable us to do so.”

The last day of service at the current branch is 17 August. The new branch will open from 09:00 on 18 August 2016 and will continue to be operated by the Post Office, with the existing branch team providing customer service.