The Post Office that's open all hours

The Post Office that’s open all hours. TOWN’S SHOP THAT LETS YOU COLLECT YOUR PENSION AT NIGHT
From WESTERN DAILY PRESS, April 18th, 2001

By By Barry Leighton
IT may look like hundreds of other bustling supermarket-cum-post offices dotted
around the country. But the Fenwick Londis Latestore in Wootton Bassett, near Swindon, is
pioneering a new system which means the post office will be open almost all
hours. Customers will be able to send parcels at night, buy stamps by moonlight and
draw their pensions as the sun goes down. The store is one of 11 across England to bring together post office and
convenience store behind one counter. Hundreds of combination stores across Britain have two separate counters – one
for the post office and one for general sales. Traditionally customers have to
go to the separate counters and invariably the post office counter is shut
hours before the general service counter. But not at David Fenwick’s store. His is the first independently owned store in the West to offer the new open
all hours service. The new system enables his customers to send parcels or pay bills until the
store closes at 10pm. If the ‘all hours’ idea succeeds it could be a massive boost for the West’s
struggling post office network. It enhances post office facilities at a time when many post offices, especially
in rural areas, are fighting to survive – as highlighted in a recordbreaking
Western Daily Press campaign. Don’t Stamp Out Our Post Offices was supported by well over three million
people, who were worried that changes to the benefit and pensions system due
to come into effect in 2003 will devastate the network. Village post offices and those on deprived urban estates will suffer most by
losing income from handling benefits and pensions. Mr Fenwick, aged 63, said opening post office counter services for longer hours
could help reduce the damaging effects of withdrawing benefit payments. “We really are open all hours. Customers now have the advantage of being able to visit the post office between
8am and 10pm virtually seven days a week. They can carry out all their
business at the same till. “It means that customers will be able to come in and buy their stamps much
later than they can do at the moment. “Often people only have the lunch hour if they work to come in and do their
post office business but now they can walk in at 9pm. “I think the idea is really going to catch on – I have already had a call from
a couple in Bath who are interested in doing something similar.” Mr Fenwick and wife Sheila, 61, have been running the town centre store for 25
years and providing post office services there for 18 years. Improved security has enabled them to introduce the system. Major refurbishment
at Mr Fenwick’s store has seen the installation of “combitills” for both
supermarket and post office transactions. The 15 staff have received training from Post Office Counters. The revamped store opened last week but will be launched officially by Mayor of
Wootton Bassett Bill Roberts next Tuesday. B.Leighton@bepp. co. uk
CAPTION: Pioneers . . . David and Sheila Fenwick
EDITION: WP Late City
PAGE: 3
SECTION: NewsWESTERN DAILY PRESS, 18th April 2001