Local MP, Alun Cairns has confirmed with the management at the Costcutter store on Merthyr Dyfan Road that the store will remain open in spite of their decision to remove the Post Office facility.
The team explained that the use of Post Office had been falling and they wanted to focus on groceries and other payment services.
In the coming weeks the Costcutter store hopes to be offering a cash point facility, a parcel drop service and a Paypoint bill paying centre.
Mr Cairns said of the situation
“My first priority is that the shop itself remains open and I am delighted to hear this is the case, and that new services are going to be offered to replace as many of the Post Office counter services as possible. Having met the team at the store it is clear that due to a drop in use of the Post Office counter combined with the business model offered by the Post Office, the counter in the Costcutter on Merthyr Dyfan Road is unsustainable.
I was shocked to hear how little the Post Office pay in commission to hard working shop owners. I will be raising this matter at Westminster to see what pressure can be put on the Post Office to improve their business offering to ensure that we retain Post Office counters in the community.
This is not the first Post Office to close in the Vale, and having heard how the commission structure works, unfortunately I suspect it may not be the last.
It is clear that the decision to close the Post Office counter was not taken lightly, and anyone interested in taking on the opportunity can apply online through the Post Office website. The Costcutter team are committed to their local community and I wish them all the best with their business.”
For information about the Post Office franchise: https://runapostoffice.co.uk/home/result/show/merthyr-dyfan-post-office-barry-cf62-9tg