Torden Stores in Port St Mary has announced it will stop providing postal services from Tuesday, July 1, citing concerns over the financial viability of continuing the service.

In a statement, the store said it had made the ‘sad’ decision after concluding that the current system was ‘not conducive’ to operating the postal counter.

The business said transactions paid for by card had resulted in it losing money on postal services and claimed that, during the past month, it had ‘actually paid the Isle of Man Post Office for the service’.

The statement read: ‘It is with sadness we have to inform everyone that we will not be continuing with postal services.

‘Customers paying by card is perfectly acceptable, but it means we lose money every time. Us paying the Post Office is not a business plan that any sane person can continue.

‘Therefore, from July 1, we will have to stop all postal services, and if we are forced into continuing, then sadly it will be a case of Torden Stores closing permanently.’

In May, Post Office bosses revealed they were inviting expressions of interest from suitable businesses in Foxdale, Jurby and central Onchan to host postal services from their premises - but not in Port St Mary.

At the time, chairman of IoMPO Stu Peters MHK said: ‘I would like to place on record our sincere thanks to the outgoing retailers who have acted as Sub Postmasters providing Post Office services to customers in their communities.’

Torden Stores has previously vented its frustration at the ‘lack of footfall’ during the Bus Vannin strikes in March, saying they had an impact on its regular customers.

‘It is roughly a third of our usual takings per day, mostly because regular customers cannot make the trip from Port Erin, Colby, Castletown and other surrounding areas,’ a spokesperson said.