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Victims of the Post Office scandal say they are trapped in their branches – as the affair has put off anyone from buying their businesses.
Subpostmasters looking to sell say growing awareness of the historic injustices has scared away potential buyers. Any potential buyer taking on an existing or new branch must go through a rigorous approval process with PO – but the brand has become ‘toxic’. owners say.
The challenges these subpostmasters have faced in finding a buyer means their local communities risk losing their only PO branch, Retail Express reports. Graham Livesey, of the Beehive in Stavely, Cumbria, said his PO branch had been on the market since 2015 with no viewings.
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He stated the “main reason” the branch hadn’t sold is that “no one wants to run a post office anymore, with the Horizon scandal having taken the money”. Graham added: “I can’t run a post office anymore after what PO did.
”I know three branches in South Cumbria that recorded shortfalls, and a lot of little village branches have shut down and not successfully relocated.
“I had shortfalls. I declared and paid them back. I was hit by one massive shortfall, which I reported. PO told me I was the only one. Watching the recent ITV drama, you know what was going on behind the scenes.
“The business is marketed at a realistic price, and I haven’t even put the asking price up. PO is a toxic attachment.”
Rosalind Cobb, who confirmed she and her husband had put in a claim for historic shortfalls from the Horizon scandal, will retire after failing to sell the branch over the past two years. The owner of the branch in Llangefni, Anglesey, said: “We don’t think we had a buyer of our post office because of the Horizon scandal.
”PO isn’t very trustworthy anymore. They’ve still got the Horizon system. We’re sad to leave after 35 years. We were the only post office in the village, and there aren’t many in the larger area.”
Christopher Dubery, of Dulverton Post Office in Somerset, had also shelled out his own money to make up for previous shortfalls in his Horizon system. He will leave the branch in September, after having it on the market for a year.
He added: “We’re partly not getting interest because of the scandal, but also because of remuneration being rubbish. The money just isn’t there. Across west Somerset and north Devon, more than 14 branches have closed over the past 15 months.
”They’ve had enough. If I was looking to buy a post office now, that would put me off, irrespective of how much income I’d get.”
Manish Jadav, owner of shop brokerage firm Trinity Retail Sales, told Retail Express that post offices that have been on the market for more than a year need to “look at their price” to sell. He added: “It’s about generating viewings through social media and marketing. I’d highlight the fact that banks are closing, and footfall will be coming to a post office. Some agents will just take it on and put on high prices.”
A PO spokesperson told Retail Express: “We’re saddened to hear that there are current postmasters who no longer want to operate a post office. We firmly believe customers recognise their value and are continuing to distinguish between PO’s appalling past behaviour in the Horizon scandal, and today’s postmasters, who are the lifeblood of their communities and provide essential services.”
