Post Office: plan to franchise 108 crown branches puts sites and jobs at risk – full list of locations

• 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.

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.

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.

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.

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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).

This is why changes to crown branches, such as franchising or closure, often carry more direct implications for employee job security.

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