Cults toy shop owner ‘sad to see Post Office go’ as closing date announced

The closure will affect more than 1,000 customers but Brendan hopes they will continue to visit his toy shop.

By Ross Hempseed

August 9 2024, 5:18 pm

Image: Kami Thomson/DC Thomson

It has been confirmed Cults post office will close in two weeks, affecting more than 1,000 customers.

Last week, Brendan Will, owner of Will’s Toy Shop, announced talks were due to take place with the Post Office to withdraw services from his premises.

The branch has been operating since 2016 within the same building as the toy shop.

Will’s Toy Shop itself, is a mainstay along the North Deeside Corridor, operating within Cults for more than 125 years.

Brendan Will, owner of Will’s Toy Shop. Image: Kenny Elrick/DC Thomson

Mr Will has worked for many years maintaining both the post office and the toy shop, but in his statement on social media last week, he made clear the branch was losing money.

He stated: “We understand that this is a loss for the community and want everyone to know that for the last few years, the post office has been operating at a loss, which the business cannot continue to sustain.”

Following the announcement last week, Mr Will entered talks with the Post Office and an official closure date has been set – Saturday, August 24 at 12pm.

August 24 will be the last day of the Cults post office

As he mentioned, the withdrawal of services from Cults will be a loss to the community.

Mr Will told The P&J: “I am sad that it is closing, also I have spent eight plus years developing the branch.

“We have a lot of great customers over 1,000 come in per week who we will miss.

“I am hopeful to see many of them still visiting with the toy shop remaining.”

The post office is situated along North Deeside Road. Image: Kami Thomson/DC Thomson

The Cults post office closure comes 10 weeks after the closure of the nearby Peterculter post office, meaning there will be no post office services available along North Deeside Road.

Mr Will added: “I am sure some will definitely be impacted and I’ve tried all I could to keep it going.

“But the way we are funded by the Post Office, we would need to do double the weekly transactions to break even.”

The next nearest branch is in Seafield on Countesswells Road, quite the distance for those who cannot drive and rely on the local services the post office provides.

The Post Office confirmed the closure date due to the resignation of the Postmaster.