Post office closures loom
Norway's postal service has won government approval to shut down more than 120 of the country's remaining 300 post offices. Postal services will be moved into retail stores in areas hit by closures. Norway's postal system says it's "modernizing" by moving postal services into retail stores. PHOTO: ERLEND AAS / SCANPIX |
It's the latest in a series of post office closures nationwide that began in 2001. The closures have been spurred by declining demand and attempts to cut costs.
The new closures will leave Norway with 179 traditional post offices and 1,280 "post in boutique" locations.
Customer surveys, according to postal officials, show that postal customers like being able to send or collect packages in the same place where they buy bread and milk. "We’re glad the government is supporting continued modernization," said Dag Mejdell, spokesman for Posten Norge.
The stores where the postal service leases space and has set up postal counters also tend to be open later than traditional post offices have been.
The post office shutdown will affect 650 employees, but they'll either be offered new positions within the postal service or retraining and help to find a new job.
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