To celebrate the launch of the new-style open-plan “local” branch, the new Subpostmistress Mrs Shobana Shanmuganathan was joined by Theresa Villiers, MP for Chipping Barnet who cut the ribbon at East Barnet Post Office, McKinnon’s newsagents, 265 East Barnet Road, Barnet, EN4 8SX.
Ms Villiers said: “I am delighted to be formally opening this relocated branch. Post offices play a very valuable role in the local community. I am so pleased that a shop in the heart of East Barnet has taken on the post office and is offering extended opening hours to benefit local residents. The new open-plan counters will also make it easier for customers and staff to talk to each other."
“These changes would not have been possible without the Government's investment in our post office network. I am confident the improvements will be warmly welcomed by my constituents. Like me, they fought hard to keep this post office open when the last government threatened it with closure and it is great to see its future looking so much brighter now.”
Post Office local is a new concept for delivering Post Office services from an open plan counter with Post Office products and services available alongside retail transactions during shop opening hours, allowing Post Office services to be available for longer offering greater convenience to customers.
McKinnon’s is a family-run independent newsagents, which has been run by the same Shanmuganathan family for more than ten years.
Subpostmistress Mrs Shanmuganathan, said: “Local residents are delighted that we have taken on the Post Office. It is a convenient location with really long hours and they really like the fact they can go to one place for the Post Office and newsagent and pay at one till, rather than having to queue again."
“Customers are now adjusting that they can do their Post Office transactions early in the morning, the evening and at the weekend in Sunday. We had lots of people coming in on Sunday as that was a convenient time for them.”
The new opening hours at the new location are Monday to Saturday: 06.00 – 20.00; Sunday 06.00 – 13.00. This will allow customers an extra 49 hours a week to access Post Office products and services including Sunday morning, and Thursday and Saturday afternoons. There are also significantly earlier opening and much later opening hours every day. It also means an end to lunchtime closing.
The refurbishment of East Barnet Post Office is part of a major modernisation programme across the Post Office network designed to make it easier for customers to do business, through longer opening hours and modern open plan environments. Subpostmistress Mrs Shanmuganathan will host the opening celebration with Simon Burman, Post Office Senior Stakeholder Manager. East Barnet ward Conservative councillors Joanna Tambourides and Barry Evangeli were also in attendance.
Mr Burman said: “We understand how important having a Post Office is to residents in this area of East Barnet and we are confident that this new modern Post Office service will meet the needs of the local community and secure services for the future."
He added: “The modernisation is part of a major investment programme to convert the Post Office network to new-style branches. This investment, the largest in the history of the Post Office, makes a commitment to no more branch closure programmes.”
The Post Office, now independent of Royal Mail, is the largest retail network in the UK, with over 11,500 branches. It is also one of the fastest growing financial services companies and is developing its online and telephony services.