More than a third of Post Office branches inside TG Jones shops have already closed or are due to shut by early 2027, according to analysis published by the Guardian on 24 October. Post Office says it intends to replace every closing branch, but that does not mean all replacement services are ready to open.
The newspaper’s analysis of Post Office records found that 36 branches inside TG Jones shops had closed in 2026, with another 34 scheduled to close by early next year. That makes 70 branches out of the 180 operating within the chain before creditors approved its restructuring in July 2026.
TG Jones is the former WH Smith high street chain, bought by Modella and renamed in 2025. The deal did not include WH Smith shops at railway stations, airports or hospitals. The analysis therefore concerns a specific part of the Post Office network, rather than all branches across the UK.
Post Office seeks replacement operators
A closure inside a TG Jones shop does not necessarily mean postal services will permanently disappear from the area. Post Office, which runs the branch network providing postal services, says it intends to replace every closing branch. It says prospective operators have expressed interest in every location where a TG Jones branch closure has been confirmed, and that it is speeding up the application process.
Replacement arrangements are already in place in some areas. According to the Guardian, a replacement branch has opened in Stirling following the closure of the service inside TG Jones. A permanent replacement in Ipswich is due to open in November 2026, while temporary arrangements are planned for Maidenhead and Uxbridge.
That does not guarantee an uninterrupted service everywhere. Interest from prospective operators is not the same as an open branch or a confirmed opening date. For customers, the key question is therefore not just whether their TG Jones branch will close, but where and when its replacement will begin operating.
Mole Meade, a representative of the Communication Workers Union (CWU), warned that the closures could leave some areas with inadequate access to postal services. That is the union’s concern about the potential impact, rather than a confirmed outcome of every planned closure. Post Office’s commitment is to replace the branches, but delivering that commitment will depend on new services opening.
