On Friday 1 November Tracey officially opened the Larkfield Post Office, which has just undergone a major refurbishment. To celebrate the launch of the new style branch Tracey cut the ribbon at the Post Office in McColls Retail Group Ltd, 24 – 28 Martin Square, Aylesford, ME20 6QJ.

The refurbishment of Larkfield Post Office is part of a major modernisation programme across the Post Office network designed to make it easier for customers to do business, through longer opening hours and modern open-plan environments.

Larkfield Post Office now has three screened counter positions and a Post Office serving point provided for use at the retail counter. This is a new concept for delivering Post Office products and services available alongside retail transactions during shop opening hours.

Post Office customers will benefit from opening hours being extended by 66 hours a week as selected Post Office products and services are now available during shop opening hours which are Monday to Sunday: 05.00 – 21.00. The extra hours include Saturday afternoon and Sunday. The branch now opens significantly earlier and closes much later every day. The car tax renewal service has also been added.

Whilst at the opening ceremony, Tracey said:

“I am delighted to be opening this refurbished Post Office today. Not only does the shop look great but the extra opening hours make it far more convenient for constituents to drop in to make their transactions. I am also pleased that the branch will offer services such as Car Tax renewals and am sure people will enjoy having such facilities available to them here in Larkfield.”

Post Office Regional Network Manager – South, Will Russell said:

“We understand how important having a Post Office is to residents in Aylesford and we are confident that this new modern Post Office service will meet the needs of the local community and secure services for the future. The modernisation is part of a major investment programme to convert the Post Office network to new-style branches. This investment, the largest in the history of the Post Office, makes a commitment to no more branch closure programmes.”

The Post Office, now independent of Royal Mail, is the largest retail network in the UK, with over 11,500 branches. It is also one of the fastest growing financial services companies and is developing its online and telephony services.