(Image: THE NORTHERN ECHO)
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A date has been confirmed for the closure of Darlington's town centre Post Office.
Darlington Post Office, which operates from inside TG Jones at the Cornmill Shopping Centre, will close on Saturday, November 28, bosses have confirmed.
The move will leave the town centre without a Post Office while a replacement operator is found.
A Post Office spokesperson said: "We fully recognise the challenging trading conditions that TG Jones and many other High Street retailers are facing at the moment.
"TG Jones had its Restructuring Plan approved by the High Court on July 1, which includes seeking new commercial terms with landlords for the majority of their estate.
"Consequently, TG Jones is to close their Darlington store. Regrettably, Darlington Post Office is due to close on Saturday, November 28."
The postal service said it has already received interest from retailers interested in taking on the branch and is reviewing applications.
Officials hope to open a replacement as quickly as possible, but have warned the process can take around six months from an operator's resignation.
The spokesperson added: "We know how important our products and services are to the local community.
"The vacancy has been advertised, and we have heard from interested retailers. We are currently in the early stages of reviewing applications to run the Post Office branch and we will provide a further update on our plans as soon as possible.
"We want to open a replacement branch as soon as possible, but this can take around six months from an operator's resignation."
In the meantime, customers will be directed to alternative branches across the town.
The nearest options will be Yarm Road Post Office on Yarm Road, Skerne Park Post Office on Coleridge Gardens, and Haughton Le Skerne Post Office on Haughton Green.
The closure was first revealed when TG Jones confirmed it would be pulling down the shutters on its Priestgate store later this year.
The retailer, formerly known as WHSmith, secured court approval for a major restructuring plan earlier this year, which includes changes across its store estate as it attempts to address challenging trading conditions.
Tom Smith KC, representing TG Jones in court, said at the time that the company had suffered from "long-term sales decline" due to high inflation, increased online shopping, lower consumer spending, and rising labour costs.
Mr Smith said the rebranding from WHSmith to TG Jones also negatively impacted sales.
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Chief executive of TG Jones, Alex Willson, previously said: "We welcome the court’s approval of our restructuring plan.
"This decision allows us to move ahead with our turnaround strategy.
"The plan protects the substantial core of the store estate and makes TG Jones a stronger, more sustainable business."