1 week Ago By Alex Nelson
Consumer Post Office: plan to franchise 108 crown branches puts sites and jobs at risk – full list of locations By Alex Nelson Jobs, finance and retail writer Comment Published 8th Apr 2025, 12:10 BST Updated 8th Apr 2025, 12:13 BST Watch more of our videos on ShotsTV.com and on Freeview 262 or Freely 565 Visit Shots! now The Post Office’s overhaul has sparked concern among staff and customers alike 📮 Sign up to the weekly Cost Of Living newsletter. Saving tips, deals and money hacks.
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This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Notice and Terms of Service apply. Post Office to franchise 108 directly-run ‘crown’ branches by autumn 2025 Move could put around 1,000 employees at risk of job loss Branches may stay in place but could relocate or close under new operators Plan aims to save £40m and boost postmaster pay by £250m annually by 2030 Change follows major review after the Horizon IT scandal overhaul The Post Office has announced plans to sell off its remaining directly-owned branches, putting around 1,000 employees at risk of job loss. It has announced that 108 crown branches, which are currently owned and operated by the company, will be transferred to franchisees by the autumn.
Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad These branches could be taken over by large franchising companies or individual postmasters. The move is part of the Post Office's strategy to raise funds for increasing postmaster pay. (Photo: Getty Images) | Getty Images The announcement follows a review of the branches announced late last year, which was initiated after the organization underwent a major overhaul in the wake of the Horizon IT scandal.
The Post Office said that the plan, contingent on Government funding, will enable it to boost postmaster compensation by an additional £250 million annually by 2030. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Will my local Post Office close? ‘Crown’ branches are Post Office branches that are directly owned and managed by the Post Office itself, rather than being operated by independent businesses or franchisees. They’re typically larger, flagship branches located in towns and city centres, offering a full range of Post Office services.
The Post Office has said it anticipates that most of the 108 branches affected by the announcement will remain at their current locations, but some may be relocated, potentially leading to closures and affecting staff. The company added that communities impacted by the changes will still have access to Post Office services, either at the same site or nearby. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad A personalised morning news round-up with NationalWorld Today - sign up here.
The full list of Post Office ‘crown’ branches: Aldwych – London Baker Street – London Bangor – Main Street, Bangor, Wales Barnes Green – Lee Road, Manchester Barnet – High Street, Barnet, London Belfast City – Bridge Street, Belfast, Northern Ireland Bexhill On Sea – Devonshire Square, Bexhill-on-Sea, East Sussex Bideford – The Quay, Bideford, Devon Birmingham – Pinfold Street, Birmingham Bransholme – A Goodhart Road, Bransholme, East Yorkshire Breck Road – The Mall, Breck Road, Liverpool Bridlington – Quay Road, Bridlington, East Yorkshire Brixton – Ferndale Road, Brixton, London Broadway – London Caernarfon – Castle Square, Caernarfon, Wales Cambridge City – St Andrew Street, Cambridge Canning Town – Barking Road, London Chester Le Street – Front Street, Chester Le Street, County Durham Cosham – High Street, Cosham, Hampshire Cricklewood – Cricklewood Broadway, London Crossgates – Austhorpe Road, Crossgates, West Yorkshire Croydon – High Street, Croydon, London Dereham – Quebec Street, Dereham, Norfolk Didsbury Village – Albert Hill Street, Didsbury, Greater Manchester Dunraven Place – Wyndham Street, Bridgend, Wales East Dulwich – Lordship Lane, London Eccles – Church Street, Eccles, Greater Manchester Edinburgh City – Waverley Mall, Edinburgh Furness House – Dalton Road, Barrow-in-Furness, Cumbria Glasgow – West Nile Street, Glasgow Gloucester – Kings Square, Gloucester, Gloucestershire Golders Green – Finchley Road, London Great Portland Street – London Grimsby – Victoria Street, Grimsby, Lincolnshire Haddington – Court Street, Haddington, Scotland Hampstead – Hampstead High Street, London Harlesden – Wendover Road, Harlesden, Greater London Harold Hill – Farnham Road, Romford, Greater London High Holborn – London Houndsditch – White Kennet Street, London Hyde – Market Place, Hyde, Greater Manchester Inverness – Queensgate, Inverness, Scotland Islington – Upper Street, Islington, London Kendal – Stricklandgate, Kendal, Cumbria Kennington Park – Kennington Road, London Kensington – Kensington High Street, London Kettering – Lower Street, Kettering, Northamptonshire Kilburn – Kilburn High Road, London Kingsbury – Kingsbury Road, London Kingsland High Street – London Kirkwall – Junction Road, Kirkwall, Scotland Knightsbridge – Raphael Street, London Leigh – Silk Street, Leigh, Greater Manchester Leighton Buzzard – Church Square, Leighton Buzzard, Bedfordshire Liskeard – The Parade, Liskeard, Cornwall London Bridge – Borough High Street, London Londonderry – Custom House Street, Londonderry, Northern Ireland Lower Edmonton – South Mall, Edmonton Green, Greater London Lupus Street – Greater London Matlock – Bank Road, Matlock, Derbyshire Melville Road – Melville Road, Hove, East Sussex Merthyr Tydfil – John Street, Merthyr Tydfil, Wales Milton Keynes – Midsummer Boulevard, Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire Morecambe – Victoria Street, Morecambe, Lancashire Morley – Queens Street, Morley, West Yorkshire Mount Pleasant – Rosebery Avenue, London Mutley – Mutley Plain, Plymouth, Devon Nailsea – Crown Glass Place, Nailsea, Somerset Newquay – East Street, Newquay, Cornwall Newtownards – Frances Street, Newtownards, Northern Ireland Northolt – Mandeville Road, Northolt, London Old Swan – Prescot Road, Liverpool Oswestry – Willow Street, Oswestry, Shropshire Oxford – St Aldates, Oxford Paddington Quay – Praed Street, London Paignton – Torquay Road, Paignton, Devon Port Talbot – Station Road, Port Talbot, Wales Portsmouth – Slindon Street, Portsmouth, Hampshire Poulton Le Fylde – Teanlowe Centre, Poulton-le-Fylde, Lancashire Prestwich – Kingswood Road, Prestwich, Greater Manchester Raynes Park – Amity Grove, London Redditch – Threadneedle House, Alcester Street, Redditch, Worcestershire Roman Road – Roman Road, Bethnal Green, London Romsey – Church Street, Romsey, Hampshire Rotherham – Bridgegate, Rotherham, South Yorkshire Salford City – Rossall Way, Salford, Greater Manchester Saltcoats – Chapelwell Street, Saltcoats, Scotland South Ockendon – Derwent Parade, South Ockendon, Essex South Shields – King Street, South Shields, Tyne and Wear Springburn Way – Springburn Way, Glasgow St Johns – Albion Street, Leeds, West Yorkshire St Peters Street – St Peters Street, St Albans, Hertfordshire Stamford – All Saints Place, Stamford, Lincolnshire Stamford Hill – London Stockport – Great Underbank, Stockport, Greater Manchester Stornoway – Francis Street, Stornoway, Isle of Lewis Stroud – Russell Street, Stroud, Gloucestershire Sunderland City – Fawcett Street, Sunderland, Tyne and Wear Teignmouth – Den Road, Teignmouth, Devon The City Of London – Eastcheap, London The Markets – New York Street, Leeds, West Yorkshire Vauxhall Bridge Road – London Wealdstone – Headstone Drive, Harrow, Greater London Westbourne – Seamoor Road, Bournemouth, Dorset Wester Hailes – Westside Plaza, Edinburgh Windsor – Peascod Street, Windsor, Berkshire Worlds End – Kings Road, London Yate Sodbury – South Parade, Yate, Gloucestershire Post Office chairman Nigel Railton said: “Moving to a fully franchised network is one part of enabling the Post Office to deliver a New Deal for Postmasters, helping to create a long-term, sustainable future for the Post Office. “By franchising these branches, we are protecting access to our services for communities right across the UK and realising £40 million worth of savings that will enable us to uplift postmasters’ remuneration by up to 10%.” Because they’re run in-house, crown branches usually employ staff directly through the Post Office (as opposed to being employed by a third-party retail partner, like WHSmith or Co-op).
Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad This is why changes to crown branches, such as franchising or closure, often carry more direct implications for employee job security. Are you struggling to make ends meet as costs continue to rise? You can now send your stories to us online via YourWorld at yourworld.net/submit .
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