Calendar An icon of a desk calendar. Cancel An icon of a circle with a diagonal line across. Caret An icon of a block arrow pointing to the right. Email An icon of a paper envelope. Facebook An icon of the Facebook "f" mark. Google An icon of the Google "G" mark. Linked In An icon of the Linked In "in" mark. Logout An icon representing logout. Profile An icon that resembles human head and shoulders. Telephone An icon of a traditional telephone receiver. Tick An icon of a tick mark. Is Public An icon of a human eye and eyelashes. Is Not Public An icon of a human eye and eyelashes with a diagonal line through it. Pause Icon A two-lined pause icon for stopping interactions. Quote Mark A opening quote mark. Quote Mark A closing quote mark. Arrow An icon of an arrow. Folder An icon of a paper folder. Breaking An icon of an exclamation mark on a circular background. Camera An icon of a digital camera. Caret An icon of a caret arrow. Clock An icon of a clock face. Close An icon of the an X shape. Close Icon An icon used to represent where to interact to collapse or dismiss a component Comment An icon of a speech bubble. Comments An icon of a speech bubble, denoting user comments. Comments An icon of a speech bubble, denoting user comments. Ellipsis An icon of 3 horizontal dots. Envelope An icon of a paper envelope. Facebook An icon of a facebook f logo. Camera An icon of a digital camera. Home An icon of a house. Instagram An icon of the Instagram logo. LinkedIn An icon of the LinkedIn logo. Magnifying Glass An icon of a magnifying glass. Search Icon A magnifying glass icon that is used to represent the function of searching. Menu An icon of 3 horizontal lines. Hamburger Menu Icon An icon used to represent a collapsed menu. Next An icon of an arrow pointing to the right. Notice An explanation mark centred inside a circle. Previous An icon of an arrow pointing to the left. Rating An icon of a star. Tag An icon of a tag. Twitter An icon of the Twitter logo. Video Camera An icon of a video camera shape. Speech Bubble Icon A icon displaying a speech bubble WhatsApp An icon of the WhatsApp logo. Information An icon of an information logo. Plus A mathematical 'plus' symbol. Duration An icon indicating Time. Success Tick An icon of a green tick. Success Tick Timeout An icon of a greyed out success tick. Loading Spinner An icon of a loading spinner. Facebook Messenger An icon of the facebook messenger app logo. Facebook An icon of a facebook f logo. Facebook Messenger An icon of the Twitter app logo. LinkedIn An icon of the LinkedIn logo. WhatsApp Messenger An icon of the Whatsapp messenger app logo. Email An icon of an mail envelope. Copy link A decentered black square over a white square.

EXCLUSIVE: Spar to axe five Post Office counters in Aberdeen

The Post Office counter in SPAR in Victoria Road, Torry, Aberdeen, will shut.
The Post Office counter in SPAR in Victoria Road, Torry, Aberdeen, will shut.

Five Post Office counters in Spar convenience stores in Aberdeen will close in the next year.

Spar Scotland said the decision followed 18 months of negotiation with Post Office Limited.

Spar said the move to shut loss-making counters would help ensure the stores continued to operate.

The Post Office has expressed its concern at elderly accessing its services.

Spar Post Office counters to close

A total of 31 Post Offices counters in Spar will close with 17 remaining open.

Five counters will close in Aberdeen – Kincorth, Torry, St Machar, Clifton Road and Northfield.

Six of the closures are in Fife – St Andrews, Newport on Tay, Balmullo, East Wemyss, Ladybank and Thornton.

Luncarty and Stanley in Perthshire and Menzieshill in Dundee are on the closure list.

The closures will take place over a six month period beginning in August.

Councillor Alan Donnelly believes the closures could be a consequence of the pandemic, with fewer people needing to access services.

He said: “I’ve gone contactless, I used to carry cash about with me but people don’t carry cash around with them anymore because of the pandemic. I think some people are even scared to lick a stamp or handle letters, it’s a real cultural shock.”

Spar statement on Post Office decision

Spar has given an assurance the affected convenience stores will remain open.

It also said staff working in its Post Offices counters will move to other positions.

A spokesperson said: “To ensure our continued operation in communities across the region, 31 stores will no longer be able to offer Post Office services.

“This decision has been carefully considered and comes after 18 months of negotiations with Post Office Limited.

Councillor Charlie Malone outside SPAR in Menzieshill, Dundee.

“It is unfortunate that we find ourselves in the position of having to change the services we offer over the next six months.

“This is representative of the industry-wide pressures on retail outlets as we evolve to keep up with changing consumer habits.”

Impact on elderly

Post Office said it was concerned about the impact on older customers.

“Post Offices play an important role in the heart of local communities across Scotland and we are disappointed that today Spar Scotland announced the counters they operate on our behalf will close at a number of their stores,” the spokesperson said.

“We have worked closely with Spar Scotland to help keep open essential Post Office services for their customers.

The Post Office counter in SPAR in Victoria Road, Torry, Aberdeen, will shut.

“At certain locations, there are nearby alternative Post Office branches.

“But we recognise that for some particularly older people they may not be easily accessible.

“We will look for replacement solutions both on a temporary or permanent basis for those branches that close.

“We are awaiting formal confirmation about the timescales for the affected branches before we inform local communities impacted.”

Mr Donnelly added: “It used to be part of city life and village life but it’s just transformed. I worry.

“It’s another nail in its coffin, closing, retaining staff, cultural changes, people not using it, reducing hours. Is there a need for it or do we need to look at other ways?”