Wigan WHSmiths confirms its December closure

And there is a race against the clock to find a new home and manager for the in-store post office too.

It was back in February that it was revealed the retailer planned to shut its high-profile outlet on Standishgate, saying it “could not trade viably” from the site.

Politicians said they hoped the exodus could be avoided and, indeed, staff later told the Wigan Observer that it wasn’t a done deal, although they were expecting to receive a final verdict on the shop’s future in September. And now it has come.

A spokesperson said: “We can confirm that the WHSmith store in Wigan will be closing in early December.

“We have worked hard to try to agree terms that would enable WHSmith to remain in the town, however, unfortunately, we are unable to continue to trade viably from this location and the decision has been taken to close the store as a result of the lease expiry in December.

“We have been working with Post Office Limited in order to give them as much time as possible to find a suitable franchise partner to ensure continuity of Post Office services within the town.

“We are disappointed to be losing our presence in Wigan and remain very thankful to both our store colleagues and customers for their support.”

There has been a WHSmiths in Wigan for decades and was previously based in the Galleries before taking over its current pitch from John Menzies.

When the closure of the general post office on Wallgate was announced, Smiths came to the rescue to host Post Office services.

And a Post Office spokesperson said today: “The operator for Wigan Post Office has made the difficult decision to close their store. The branch is due to close at its current location in early December.

“We know how important a post office is to a community. Due to the resignation of the operator, the vacancy has been advertised.

“We have several interested applicants with premises whom are currently in process, once a successful candidate has been appointed, we will then consult on relocating the branch.”

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