To celebrate the launch of the new Biddulph Post Office, Staffordshire Moorlands MP, Karen Bradley ‘cut the ribbon’ at an opening ceremony on Friday 18 October 2013.
Karen said: “I’m delighted to officially open the new Biddulph Post Office. Usman is to be congratulated on his work to get the branch open and restore Post Office services to the High Street. I wish him and his team every success with the business.
“I would also like to mention the many local Councillors who worked to get the temporary Post Office in the town, when the previous branched closed, and in helping Usman get the new branch open for customers. I’ve been campaining for Post Offices in the Moorlands since before the last election so I’m really pleased to see such a modern one in Biddulph.”
The new branch opened on Wednesday 09 October and restored Post Office services to the High Street alongside a convenience store offering. The move comes as the Post office is modernising the network to make it easier for customers to do business, through longer opening hours and modern open plan environments.
Biddulph Post Office now has four serving positions, a mixture of one traditional screened and two open plan counter positions with a Post Office serving point at the retail counter - a new concept for delivering Post Office products and services alongside retail transactions.
Subpostmaster Usman Hameed said: “I was delighted to have the opportunity to take on the branch and I am very pleased to be officially launching it today for the community. I hope our customers like the new branch and I’d also like to thank Karen and the local Councillors for their support and for helping launch the branch today.”
Customers will now be able to access Post Office products and services 7 days a week. Opening hours are 06:00 – 21:00 Monday to Friday and 09:00 – 18:00 on Saturday and 10:00 to 16:00 on Sunday, offering customers 90 hours a week to access Post Office products and services.
Post Office Regional Manager, Richard Lynds, said: “We understand how important having a Post Office is to residents in Biddulph and I am confident that this new modern Post Office will meet the needs of the local community and secure services for the future.
The Post Office, now independent of Royal Mail, is the largest retail network in the UK, with over 11,700 branches. It is also one of the fastest growing financial services companies and is developing its online and telephony services.