Czech Post (ČP) has sold its former branch on Horní náměstí in the historic centre of Olomouc for CZK 130.5 million in an electronic auction. The owner of the property will be announced after the registration in the land register. The minimum price of the property in the centre of Olomouc was set by an expert opinion at CZK 130 million, it was announced yesterday by ČP spokesman Ivo Vysoudil. The Horní náměstí branch was on the list of offices that ČP closed last year.
The building of the former post office on Horní náměstí has eight floors and includes a 1,101-square-metre plot. There are several apartments on the upper floors. “In the sold property, part of the premises is leased in the form of a lease agreement, where the rights and obligations are transferred to the new owner. Now, after settlement of the purchase price, the purchase contract will be concluded and the entry into the land register will be made,” said Ondřej Škorpil, director of the shared services division of ČP.
The property is located in the historical centre, so its possible reconstruction requires the approval of the conservation authorities. The town hall was previously interested in the Horní náměstí branch. However, according to the deputy mayor Otakar Štěpán Bačák (spOLečně), ČP did not intend to have a branch there even under the Posta Partner regime, so this property in the centre of Olomouc is no longer that interesting for the city.
The town hall has now turned its attention to a large postal building in Ladova Street in Olomouc-Hejčín, which ČP also wants to sell in an electronic auction. The starting price for the complex with land occupying nearly 13,000 sqm is 119 million. For the planned purchase and reconstruction of the branch in Ladova Street, the town hall wants to use half of the approved CZK 400 million investment loan.
In recent months, ČP has been selling real estate across the country, Vysoudil said, in an effort to stabilise the company’s finances before its transformation. So far, ČP has managed to sell eight properties in Olomouc, Beroun, Svitavy, České Budějovice, Tábor, Litvínov, Plzeň and Frýdek-Místek. “The sale is underway for another 19 properties and other properties will be offered for sale in the near future,” Vysoudil said.
ČP management has already set dates for electronic auctions of several other buildings with a minimum bid price exceeding CZK 100 million. For example, the ČP building in Poštovní Street in Ostrava, the property in K Cihelně Street in Prague 9 and the postal premises in Ostrava in Sládkova Street will be auctioned.
The Post Office closed 300 of its 3,200 branches and laid off 1,500 people in the middle of last year due to cost-cutting measures. Olomouc lost seven post offices at the end of June last year, half their original number. The town hall disagreed with the closure of branches in Horní náměstí and Holice, fearing a deterioration in the availability of services. The Upper Square branch was well attended and had wheelchair access.
Source: Czech Post and CTK
Photo: Jiří Komárek and
