Summary
- Post Office has announced the third tranche in its franchise plans for the remaining 108 directly managed branches
- Wester Hailes Post Office in Edinburgh is set to relocate within the same shopping centre and be franchised to Mohammed and Aamir Arshad
- Previous tranche announcements involved franchising branches to various operators
Post Office has moved another step closer to its goal of a fully franchised network, announcing on Wednesday (25 June) the third tranche in its franchise plans for the last remaining 108 directly managed branches (DMBs).
With this latest update, a total of 76 branches have now been earmarked for transfer across the first three tranches.
The latest proposal involves the Wester Hailes Post Office in Edinburgh, which is set to relocate within the same shopping centre and be franchised to father-son duo Mohammed and Aamir Arshad. The experienced retail operators previously ran the Whitecraig Post Office, near Mussleburgh, and currently operate Plaza News in Wester Hailes, the proposed new location for the branch.
The relocation to Unit 23–26, Westside Plaza, remains subject to public consultation and is scheduled for September. The new premises are on the first floor but remain accessible via lift, escalator and stairs, with four hours of free parking available as before.
This latest development follows earlier tranche announcements:
- First tranche (28 May): 56 DMBs to be franchised to three operators:
- UOE (30 branches)
- ZCO (18 branches)
- RF Retail (8 branches)
- Second tranche (4 June): 19 DMBs to be franchised to three operators:
- Firstclass Managerial LTD (8 branches)
- South Coast Retail (6 branches)
- RF Retail (5 additional branches)
In line with the Post Office’s Principles of Community Engagement, all affected branches will display customer notification posters, and local stakeholders will be consulted prior to final decisions. Post Office said 75 transferred DMBs will be operated by the five operators from the same premises where they are currently located whilst the long-term arrangements for the branch are finalised.
“Moving to a fully franchised network is one part of enabling the Post Office to deliver a ‘New Deal for Postmasters’,” a Post Office spokesperson said.
“Over 99% of the Post Office network is already successfully operated on a franchise basis by carefully selected retail partners. We are confident this will create a long-term, sustainable future for post offices in communities across the UK, including Wester Hailes.”
Further tranche announcements for the remaining 32 branches are expected in the coming weeks.
Mohammed Arshad has operated a number of convenience stores across various areas of Edinburgh. In 2010, Mohammed and his wife took on Whitecraig Post Office and off-licence store. Their son, Aamir, was just 19 years old making him one of the youngest postmasters in Scotland. They extended and refurbished the premises and doubled the takeover within the first few months and ran this post office for six years.
In 2016 the family moved to Wester Hailes and took on Plaza News. It then moved to larger premises within the Westside Plaza Shopping Centre in 2020.