UPDATE: Post Office confirms business as usual amidst Beales closure announcement

The Lumley Road department store is among Beales' final 11 businesses facing closure in weeks, putting hundreds of jobs at risk.

The 139-year-old retailer, which has 23 stores nationwide including one in Spalding, went into administration last month and today announced it has been unable to find a buyer .

Administrators at KPMG said they have been in discussions with "a number of interested parties" over a sale.

However, they are preparing to shut the remaining 11 stores after failing to receive any "deliverable offers".

Stores are expected to stay open for around eight weeks while closing down sales take place.

This includes the Post Office which is part of the Skegness store.

A Post Office spokesperson, said: “We have received notification today that the Beales Department store, where Skegness Post Office is based, is sadly closing. The Post Office can continue to operate for the next eight weeks approximately.

“We are committed to providing a Post Office in this area of Skegness. Any retailer interested in incorporating a Post Office in their premises should [email protected] or 0333 345 5560, then select option 2.

"The vacancy will soon be advertised on www.runapostoffice.co.uk and our field team will be visiting the area to speak to local retailers about the opportunity.

“We will look to see how we can maintain Post Office services on a temporary basis whilst we look for a permanent solution. Alternative branches in the area include Drummond Road and Burgh Road.”

Molly's Coffee Shop, however, will not be relocating. A spokesman said: "Unfortunately that's it for us now - we won't be opening anything else."

Employees at Beales in Skegness are expected to be retained as the stores continue to trade.

Will Wright, joint administrator for the company, said: "We'd like to thank all Beales employees for their wholehearted support and assistance during the administration process.

"We understand that the failure to achieve a sale so far will come as disappointing news, but can assure them that we will continue in our efforts to secure some form of positive outcome."

KPMG added that, if a sale is not achieved, the precise closure date of each store will vary, depending on trading performance.

East Lindsey District Council have expressed their disappointment it has not been possible to save the store. Counr Steve Kirk, Portfolio Holder for Coastal Economy, said: “It’s disappointing to hear that Administrators have been unable to find a buyer for Beales and that it now appears that we’ll see the closure of their Skegness store.

"This is a sad situation for their local workforce and we will be making contact with the Administrators to better understand the timescales involved with the store closure, what support they are putting in place for staff members and whether we can assist with that in any way.”

The full address of alternative Post Office branches are:

· Drummond Road Post Office, 138-140 Drummond Road, Skegness, PE25 3ES

· Burgh Road Post Office, 172 Burgh Road, Skegness, PE25 2RW