Theresa Villiers, MP for Chipping Barnet, today (13 December) visited the team at the new-look Barnet Post Office to see how preparations are going in the build-up to Christmas – the busiest time of year for Post Office branches across the UK.
Barnet Post Office, High Street, Barnet, has been refurbished over recent months, meaning customers now benefit from service in a brighter, more modern retail environment – and Ms Villiers hailed the extended opening hours the branch is offering ahead of Christmas as of great benefit to the community.
She said: “Barnet Post Office is a brilliant service for the community and it’s fantastic to see that the team here are doing so much for people at what can be a very busy and often stressful time of year.
“The extended opening hours mean people have more choice about when they pop in, and that can make all the difference for people on the go, with that extra bit of time in the mornings and evenings.”
Customers are benefiting from an extra five hours of service each week before Christmas, with the branch open from 08:30 – 18:00 Monday to Friday and 09:00 – 17:30 on Saturdays.
They are also being served in a modern, open-plan retail environment since Barnet Post Office was refurbished this year. The branch converted from the old fortress counters to open-plan service points, a new private room has been added for consultations on financial services and a dedicated mails acceptance point was introduced. Further improvements include new floors and a special welcome point at the entrance.
Charise O’Donnell, Barnet Post Office Manager, said: “The branch looks wonderful since it’s been modernised. We’ve gone from fortress counters to open-plan counters, and it looks much brighter and more modern now. “Overall, people are really happy with the new layout. The open space lets us have a more personal connection with the customers, which is brilliant.”
The Post Office is currently undertaking a multi-million pound investment programme across its branch network. Around 1,400 branches across the UK have already been modernised and are, as a result, offering a combined total of over 35,000 extra hours of service per week, including Saturday and Sunday opening times.
The Post Office’s online offering has also been improved this Christmas. Helpful information from how to find your nearest branch to details of special promotions can be found at www.postoffice.co.uk/christmas - along with a whole lot more.
One of the new features on the Post Office’s online Christmas hub is a new service to help customers remember last posting dates for UK and Worldwide mails online and through a simple and free reminder service. Select the destinations you’d like a reminder for and the Post Office will send you an email and text message to help you get cards and gifts despatched in plenty of time, avoiding a last-minute rush.
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 UK’s fastest growing financial services companies and is the market leader for travel money.
Visit www.postoffice.co.uk to find out more about the wide range of products and services available from the Post Office.