Under Morrisons supermarket store closures, the Fairfax Avenue Post Office in Hull is due to shut on Sunday 9 August when the Morrisons Local store it sits in closes. For Bricknell residents and small businesses, that removes a nearby counter used for banking and parcels unless another retailer takes the branch on.
Dame Diana Johnson said on Saturday 27 June that she had been collecting signatures in person for the petition, while also urging Post Office Ltd to secure another site in the ward for Post Office services
. In a separate post, she said, Bricknell residents face losing Post Office counter services in the ward when Morrisons in Fairfax Avenue closes in August.
Fairfax Avenue branch on 9 August
By 9 August, the branch at Fairfax Avenue will go because the retail partner has reviewed its Morrisons Daily store operations and decided to close the store there. The Post Office said the shutdown of the branch follows the supermarket closure rather than a separate decision on the counter itself.
7 Morrisons stores closing across Yorkshire and North Yorkshire were announced at the beginning of this month, and The Morrisons Daily in Middle Street South, Driffield, is also due to be closed. In May, Morrisons said it would close 100 Morrisons Daily stores as part of a restructuring drive, after converting 132 corner shops by 2024 following its takeover of numerous McColl's sites in 2022.
Post Office vacancy on
The Post Office said it has advertised the branch vacancy on its website and welcomes applications from nearby retailers looking to host a Post Office inside their store. That leaves the branch open to replacement, but only if a nearby retailer steps forward quickly enough to take the site on.
The company also said it fully recognise[s] the inconvenience this will cause our customers and small businesses who rely on our banking and parcel services in particular
. It added: We welcome applications from nearby retailers looking to host a Post Office inside their store.
Bricknell Ward service gap
Over 1,500 Morrisons Daily branches will remain across the UK, but that does not preserve the Fairfax Avenue counter. The practical issue for Bricknell Ward is whether a replacement retailer applies in time to keep local Post Office services in the ward, because the vacancy is already being marketed while the current branch is still on the clock.
Dame Diana Johnson and Cllr Sharon Hofman have tied the petition to that gap in service, pushing for another site in the ward before the closure lands. For customers who use the branch for cash, parcels, or day-to-day business, the next move now sits with any nearby retailer willing to take the vacancy.
