A new kind of Post Office branch is set to open today with a self-service drop and collect option. 

Royal Mail Post Offices announced a new self-service branch in Amersham was set to open today as part of a trial.

Now customers at Anri Convenience Store on 43 Plantation Road, known as Ivy Stores, can use Post Office services with a handheld device to pay bills, collect and return prepaid parcels, top-up mobiles and National Lottery during the opening hours.

The announcement comes after Post Offices look for “lighter” branch formats giving postmasters and retail partners “greater opportunity to adapt their business to suit their needs and the needs of their local customers,” Post Office propositions manager Natalie Liff said.

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She said: “At Post Office we are committed to ensuring  our network continues to develop to meet evolving customer demand.

“One of the ways we’re doing this is to trial an additional branch format on a small scale before we look at any wider introduction in the network. 

Bucks Free Press: The new Post Office is inside this convenience storeThe new Post Office is inside this convenience store (Image: Google Street View)

“This new format has been  developed  to  increase  customer  access  to  key  services  they  require  and  to simplify the customer experience -including reducing transaction times.”

For more complex services, such as personal and business banking, customers have to visit the Post Office on Sycamore Road, where wider range of services continues, Ms Liff said.

She added: “During the trial of the new branch format, we will monitor usage, suitability and any local feedback. If there is a need to change the service, posters will be displayed locally to let customers know.”

Chesham and Amersham MP Sarah Green welcomed the new Post Office in her constituency in a Tweet as will make it “easier for local people to pay bills, top up phones and collect and return parcels”.

She commented: “Sadly, a new Post Office won't solve ongoing issues with local postal deliveries, for which Royal Mail are responsible.

“I look forward to meeting with Royal Mail's Regional Operational Director soon to discuss how to ensure local people get the postal service they deserve."

Ms Green’s criticism of Royal Mail comes after a series of post delivery problems have affected residents in Amersham, including a bereaved woman, who was left in limbo after her street had no post for weeks.

The new branch inside the convenience store is open from Monday to Saturday between 6am and 6pm, and on Sundays between 6am and 1pm. 

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