The future of a Post Office service in Whaplode is uncertain after it was revealed it will not be part of the village’s newly renovated Co-Op store.
Details of the £1.6 million development, which Lincolnshire Co-Op says will create 10 extra jobs, have just been released.
But after closing in April to create the larger food store, it will not have the post office combi-counter service it previously offered when it’s scheduled to reopen in March 2019.
Villagers will now hope another business or organisation can take up the counter, or they will have to continue to travel to use the Post Office in Holbeach.
Store Development Manager Matthew Wilkinson said: “We want to provide the best service we can at our Whaplode site. After talking to our local colleagues, reviewing the layout of the store and getting positive feedback about our nearby Holbeach Post Office, we decided to give notice on our contract to run the combi-counter in Whaplode.
“It will allow us to maximise space at the tills and improve service at Whaplode. It will also enable us to focus resources on our Holbeach Post Office, which customers have been using since the Whaplode site temporarily closed.
“The Holbeach Post Office provides a much wider range of services than we were able to offer and has its own dedicated area with a secure serving point. It’s also part of a hub of facilities including our food store, pharmacy and our community library, and has an extensive car park.”
The Co-Op says the new store will host an extra 1,500 product lines when it reopens. It also says some of the staff that were temporary relocated to other stores will come back to be joined by 10 new positions which will be advertised at https://jobs.lincolnshire.coop from Monday (November 5).
Co-Op regional manager for the site Amesh Davda said: “Our new-look Whaplode store will provide a valued service to people in the area and we’re looking forward to getting lots of applications from local people keen to join our hard-working and dedicated team.”
