The Co-op will close a seaside town branch after 42 years of trading in June, a move its MP described as “devastating”. As part of the closure, the only Post Office in the area of Minehead, Somerset, will also close, with the company promising to find a solution for its customers.
The Co-Op store in The Avenue, Minehead, first opened in 1984 at the site of the former Minehead Bus Station, and its last day will be June 13. The Post Office branch will shut slightly sooner on June 9, at 5.30pm. A statement issued by the Post Office said: “We are working hard to restore service to the community as soon as possible.”
It added: “I would like to assure you that we are working hard to keep any period of closure to a minimum.”
Customers will be able to shop at the Co-op in nearby Alcombe, which is just over a mile away. But to access the Post Office, they will have to travel across West Somerset to Dunster and Timberscombe.
The statement said: “Co-op remains committed to serving the Minehead community through our Alcombe Road store, however we have made the difficult decision to close our store on The Avenue, following the refusal of a planning application to redevelop the site to include a purpose-built and sustainable new Co-op store.
“Our priority is to fully support The Avenue store colleagues, and we would like to thank the community for its continued support for the Co-op in the town.”
Minehead and Tiverton MP Rachel Gilmour previously said the closures were “devastating”, while customers expressed their disappointment on social media. One dubbed it as “so sad” and “such a shame”.
The news comes just months after the supermarket chain announced it would expand its retail services in 2026. It said “from Sussex to Stirling”, Co-op would open 18 stores in the first quarter of 2026, including new and re-opened stores following investment.
The shop said its “ongoing commitment to backing British High Streets” was realised with 2026’s first store opening at Willowbrook Park, Didcot (Oxfordshire).