Oldham's WHSmith, which is the only town centre Post Office, will be closing its doors for good in just a matter of hours. Tomorrow, at 12pm on Saturday May 3, the longstanding WHSmith store and Post Office inside the Spindles shopping centre will be closing as the historic retailer steadily withdraws from the UK high street. This move will impact postal services and the Post Office is actively seeking a new partner to reopen a branch in the town centre.

A WHSmiths spokesperson said: "We can confirm that the WHSmith store in Oldham will be closing in May. It is no longer sustainable to continue to trade from this location and the decision has been taken to close the store as a result of the forthcoming lease expiry.

"It is no longer sustainable to continue to trade from this location and the decision has been taken to close the store as a result of the forthcoming lease expiry.

"We are disappointed to be losing our presence in Oldham and we would like to thank all our customers for their support and for shopping with us.

"We are also extremely grateful for the commitment of our in store colleagues who we will support with this transition."

Following the closure of the WHSmith, the operator of Oldham’s Post Office has stepped down, prompting the search for a new location to establish a town centre branch.

MP Jim McMahon previously confirmed that proposals have been made to keep the Post Office within the Spindles though Council leader Arooj Shah stated the process may take time, The Oldham Times reported. 

A Post Office spokesperson said: "The operator for Oldham Post Office has resigned as WHSmith has made the difficult decision to close the store where the branch is based. The date has not yet been finalised, but it to be in May.

"The vacancy has been advertised and we have interest expressed from 23 retailers and we are looking at the options available as we know how important a post office is to a community."

The company has closed multiple branches across the UK in recent months and more closures are expected through May and July. 

WHSmith’s high street exit follows its £76 million acquisition by Modella Capital, the owner of Hobbycraft.

The deal included the sale of WHSmith’s remaining 480 high street stores, many of which will be rebranded under the new name TGJones though its operations in airports, railway stations, and hospitals will continue.