Post Office Confirms Move into Robert Dyas
Campaign for a stand-alone branch appears set for disappointment
Robert Dyas is at 326 Chiswick High Road
August 1, 2026
Post Office Ltd has confirmed that Chiswick Post Office will relocate from Heathfield Terrace to a new in-store counter inside Robert Dyas.
The announcement made this Friday (31 July) sets out plans for a refurbished Post Office area within the hardware store at 326 Chiswick High Road. The new branch will operate six days a week from 9am to 6pm, offering 54 hours of service — an increase of six hours compared with the current opening times. Three open-plan serving positions will be installed within a convenience store within the existing premises, and Post Office Ltd says the move will “secure the long-term viability” of services in the area.
But for some in Chiswick, the confirmation has revived concerns that have been building since the Heathfield Terrace branch closed unexpectedly in 2025. That closure, which came without explanation, led to widespread uncertainty about whether the post office would ever return. When the branch did reopen, under new and experienced postmasters, customers praised the team’s service. The postmasters subsequently applied for change-of-use permission at alternative premises on Chiswick Back Common Road, aiming to establish a brand-new, stand-alone post office that would preserve the full range of services.
Post Office Ltd decided not to support this model and held a consultation on the Robert Dyas option. A petition, started by Cllr Joanna Biddolph, which has received over 2,000 signatures, argues that an in-store model is not suitable for an area with around 50,000 residents, thousands of daily workers, and a dense network of businesses that rely on comprehensive postal services. It warns that long queues — common at Heathfield Terrace — cannot be accommodated within a shared retail unit, and that reduced services would force customers to travel out of the area, particularly affecting older and vulnerable residents.
The petition also highlights the instability of the host-retail model. Post offices embedded within another national retailer have recently been placed at risk of closure, despite being promoted as long-term solutions. While Robert Dyas is part of the Ryman Group, a well-established Post Office partner, the petition argues that Chiswick needs a guarantee of full services rather than a model dependent on the fortunes of a retail chain.
The list of services expected to be lost under the in-store proposal includes banking functions, money transfers, document certification, passport and DVLA applications, Evri parcel services, Drop & Go for business customers, and the flexibility to increase staffing at peak times. The petition states that reducing counters from five to three, and replacing trained post office staff with general retail staff, risks frustrating customers and diminishing usage.
The current postmasters say they remain ready to establish a stand-alone branch arguing that this is the most secure way to protect Chiswick’s long-term access to a full-service post office.
Cllr Biddolph said she was shocked that that Post Office Ltd had not replied to her most recent email on the matter which was sent over a week before the announcement. She had asked about reports that furniture, fixtures, and fittings for the Robert Dyas site had been ordered before the formal consultation process had ended.
She added, “The most common comment made recently to me by locals is of astonishment at being ignored. Residents and business owners then went on to say they are shocked that Post Office Ltd seems to have learned no lessons from the Horizon scandal. They highlight the fact that some postmasters affected by Horizon have died, with some taking their own lives, and with apparently no corporate sanctions. “
She contrasted this with the attitude of the current postmasters and team at the Heathfield Terrace site and concluded, “Chiswick deserves much better than this.”
The details of the move are being finalised with a date for the opening in Robert Dyas to be confirmed .
You can sign the petition in favour of a full service post office here.
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