Barnet (Parliament Politics Magazine) – High Barnet’s main Post Office is set for a franchise takeover this week, with plans to relocate to larger premises to expand and modernize services.
An additional ten hours of operation per week, including Saturday and Sunday afternoons, are guaranteed. The relocation is currently the subject of public comments till October 14.
The proposed site is the vacant space of the former Toy Galaxy store at 112a Barnet High Street. A stationery store will be added as part of a significant renovation.
On September 11, Elliott Jacobs, a businessman whose company, Universal Office Equipment, already operates a chain of nine franchised branches, took over the Post Office, which is now located at 63 Barnet High Street, as a franchise operation.
In addition to two open-plan positions that eliminate security screens so that patrons don’t have to raise their voices while being served, the 53-year-old businessman from Barnet promises “the same full range of Post Office services” at the new location.
However, it should be noted that the High Street has parking limitations, including time-limited disability parking.
While preparing for his A-levels, Mr. Jacobs began working Saturday hours in the company’s East Finchley retail and typewriter repair store in 1988 as a 16-year-old schoolboy. He later transitioned into a job in technology and financial software.
He launched one of the first online stationery businesses in the UK during the height of the dot-com boom, and ten years later, at the age of 26, he bought the company. Since 2015, he has been an accredited postmaster.
Before being one of the first Amstrad PC retailers in 1984, the company quickly rose to become one of the biggest typewriter and photocopier servicing companies in the nation.
Currently, Mr. Jacobs runs a chain of nine post offices seven days a week across London, Hertfordshire, and the Home Counties.
What impact will the move to 112a Barnet High Street have on access to services locally?
The new location is bigger and a refurbished location available for retail alongside Post Office services, which could improve customer experience and convenience.
There will be extended opening hours, including Saturday and Sunday afternoons, allowing residents and those who had limited access to services during business hours to use Post Office services.
The Post Office is consulting with the community to ensure that community needs and concerns in relation to access, location and suitability for premises are known.
The new location has remained centrally located on Barnet High Street regarding public transport links and amenities whilst allowing for ease of access.