More than a third of the Post Office branches that trade inside TGJones shops are due to close by early 2027, according to Post Office records reported by Retail Gazette. Seventy counters in the former WHSmith high street estate are affected, as the retailer shrinks its network under a creditor-approved restructuring plan.
TGJones was bought from WHSmith by private equity firm Modella Capital last year and rebranded. It then won creditor approval for a restructuring plan under which up to 150 of its roughly 450 stores are expected to close. Post Office records show 36 branches inside the estate have already shut this year, with a further 34 expected to follow. Retail Gazette reported the figures on 26 October 2026, and the closures run to early 2027.
Where the closures fall
Several towns and cities stand to lose more than one counter, including Stevenage, Bracknell, Orpington, Hull and York. Telford is due to lose its last remaining Post Office when its TGJones branch closes in January. By area, Essex is set to lose six branches, the West Midlands five and Wales four, while Suffolk and Hertfordshire are also among the most affected. The Welsh branches are counted within the UK-wide total of 70.
What Post Office says about replacements
Post Office told Retail Gazette it recognised the “challenging trading conditions” facing TGJones and other high street retailers. It said it had asked postmasters and partners to express interest in taking over the affected branches, and that interest had come in for every confirmed closure site. In some areas more than 40 applications have reportedly been received. Post Office said it was committed to replacing every branch inside a closing TGJones store, and to progressing applications as quickly as possible.
How the franchise arrangement fits in
Post Office has described its own model as operating on a franchise basis, in partnership with postmasters who run branches and with other retail partners, putting it alongside the business services franchises in the UK. In April 2025 it said the last 108 branches it ran directly would be franchised by the autumn, to partners with a track record of running Post Office services or similar retail. Retail Gazette framed the TGJones closures as an example of the pressure on retailers that host essential services, as footfall declines and costs rise.
Good to know
The figure of 70 combines two counts: 36 branches that have already closed this year and 34 still expected to close, according to Post Office records cited by Retail Gazette.
What happens next
The closure programme runs to early 2027, with the Telford branch due to shut in January. The Retail Gazette report quotes Post Office rather than TGJones, so the retailer’s own timetable for the remaining stores is not set out in it. Replacement timing depends on applications being processed, which Post Office says it is doing as quickly as it can. The wider TGJones programme, which targets up to 150 of about 450 stores, continues alongside the Post Office closures. Retail Gazette had reported in July that up to 150 former WHSmith stores would shut in the overhaul, and it said the latest closures raise concerns over access to essential services across the UK.
