Residents of Kenmore say the shock closure of their shop and post office will destroy their Highland Perthshire village.
People living in the village, which is also a tourist hotspot, now face a 12-mile round trip to the nearest post office in Aberfeldy.
The post office is the only general store in the village although there is a deli at the Mains of Taymouth country estate.
Four jobs will be lost in the closure, which the owners blame on “an extended period of difficult trading”.
A Post Office spokesperson said the shop will be closed this Friday, but the shop’s manager and the building owner hope to keep it open until the end of the month.
The owners have said “an extended period of difficult trading” is to blame.
But Wilma Harrison, who has been the shop manager for three-and-a-half years, said the shop and post office are both well used and are a lifeline to people living in Kenmore and the surrounding area.
‘Real blow to the community’
She said: “The village has been destroyed.
“This whole village and the whole area is absolutely devastated.
“It is a real blow to the community.
“We don’t want to lose it and the Post Office don’t want to lose it.
“People around here rely on it. A lot of people here can’t drive so will be stuck and isolated.
“One woman who lives seven miles away is part of the rural delivery service, so the postie delivers her papers from us to her.
“If she wants her paper it’s going to be a 30-mile round trip.
“Everyone is furious and I’m just in shock.”
One of the shop’s four employees will return to his previous workplace, the Kenmore Hotel, which is shut for refurbishment.
But Wilma does not know what the future holds for herself or the other two staff members.
“I have been told there will be about 100 workers coming to the village for the castle refurbishment and there is no shop for them. It doesn’t make any sense,” she added.
Listed building
The building the shop and is based in is listed and is thought to have been a feature of the village for at least 100 years.
It is understood locals are considering buying the building, but this is in the early stages.
One resident, who asked not to be named, said: “It’s nice to get things from the shop and get our essentials from there, and the Post Office covers a lot of ground.
“It may be six miles to our nearest Post Office in Aberfeldy but it is not a very popular one and the road to get there is not the nicest.
“I think the Post Office closing will hit the hardest. I think it is the way it came about, just like that.
After an extended period of difficult trading it is with considerable regret that we have concluded that the shop and Post Office are no longer viable.”
Kenmore Luxury Lodges, operators of Kenmore Shop
Kenmore Luxury Lodges, operators of the shop and Post Office, said: “After an extended period of difficult trading it is with considerable regret that we have concluded that the shop and Post Office are no longer viable and will be closing at the end of the month.
“This has not been an easy decision but a necessary one.”
A Post Office spokesperson said: “We have very recently been advised that the shop where Kenmore Post Office is soon closing and unfortunately the branch will need to close this Friday.
“We apologise for any inconvenience caused by the temporary closure.
“We will work hard to restore service to the area as soon as possible.
“In the interim an alternative branch includes Aberfeldy which is open seven days a week from 6am until 8pm.”
Vital service
John Swinney, Deputy First Minister and the MSP for Perthshire North, called the news “a blow” to Kenmore.
“It is my hope that a solution can be found that will allow a Post Office to continue to operate in Kenmore, thus ensuring that locals will continue to have access to the vital services that it provides,” he added.
Pete Wishart, MP for Perth and North Perthshire, said: “This closure is a devastating blow for the local community, and will be felt across the entire Loch Tay area.
“The abruptness of the closure will be a particular shock for the staff, who will now be without work in the midst of a cost of living crisis.
“I understand that efforts to organise a community purchase are in the early stages, and I very much hope that this comes to fruition in order to safeguard the future of this vital premises.”
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