Stoke Gifford’s newly-refurbished ‘main style’ post office in the former Jhoots Pharmacy store in Ratcliffe Drive is proving a hit with local residents and businesses.

Following its reopening at the end of June, the post office now offers three serving positions: one screened, one open plan and a third at a retail counter at the front of the store.

Services available at the branch include: Drop & Go, Parcelforce Express, vehicle tax, foreign currency, travel insurance, National Express ticket sales and Post Office banking, in addition to all the usual branch post office functions.

The new layout incorporates a consultation area where post office staff can give advice on financial products, but Jhoots say they are looking at the possibility of using this space for a self-service scanner/photocopier or photo printing kiosk.

The post office operation has now been taken under the direct control of the Jhoots pharmacy group, which operates 50 pharmacies across the UK, including seven in the Bristol area and two in Bath. It had previously been operated by an independent postmaster and then, following the transfer of the pharmacy to the nearby Stoke Gifford Medical Centre in January 2015, by an organisation acting as a temporary postmaster.

Richard Sugden, operations director at Jhoots, described the Stoke Gifford site as a new venture for the company, being its first standalone business that is not a pharmacy.

Jhoots have taken on the two staff who worked at the previous post office and are in the process of recruiting two more.

Aside from the post office function, the shop also stocks stationery, household products and a small selection of gifts. The range of products offered will be regularly reviewed and the business will respond to the needs of the community.

More: Business will be developed to meet needs of the community »

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Post Office Limited has announced that the post office branch within the former Jhoots Pharmacy store in Ratcliffe Drive, Stoke Gifford is to be modernised into what it calls a ‘main style’ branch.

To allow work to be carried out, the branch will close on Saturday 11th June at 12.30pm and reopen on Monday 20th June at 1pm. Any unforeseen schedule changes requiring these dates to change will be displayed on posters at the branch.

According to the Post Office website, ‘main style’ branches “retain a dedicated post office counter, often open plan, in a brighter, more modern environment”. In addition, the majority of services continue to be available outside traditional hours — for as long as the host business is open — from the retail counter.

During the period of closure, customers are advised that nearby Post Office facilities are provided at the following branches:

• Little Stoke Post Office, 8 Kingsway, Little Stoke BS34 6JL
• Filton Post Office, 3 Church View, Filton BS34 7BT

Currently, post office services are provided from a small screened area in one corner of the shop. The remaining area of the shop is filled with empty shelving, left over from the former pharmacy business, which transferred to the nearby Stoke Gifford Medical centre some time ago.

Asked what is going to happen to the rest of the shop, a member of staff referred The Journal to the Jhoots head office, but no response could be obtained from them before the June BSJ magazine went to print.

A post made by Stoke Gifford councillor Keith Cranney on Streetlife provided the following further information:

The new Post Office will include a low-level serving counter and include a hearing loop. There will be three serving positions – one screened, one open plan and a postal serving point for use at the retail counter, available during shop opening hours.

The Post Office will include the same wide range of products and services that have previously been provided, with the addition of Car Tax.

The new trading hours will be extended as follows: 8.30am to 6.30pm Mon – Fri and 8.30am to 5.30pm on Saturday.

This article originally appeared in the June 2016 edition of the Bradley Stoke Journal news magazine, delivered FREE, EVERY MONTH, to 9,500 homes in Bradley Stoke, Little Stoke and Stoke Lodge. Phone 01454 300 400 to enquire about advertising or leaflet insertion.

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