A NEW Post Office has finally opened in the town centre after a seven month wait.
Nearly a year since the last branch closed, the new Post Office has officially opened in The Malls.
The new branch retains the same three members of staff from the previous Post Office in the old WH Smith, while adding an additional three new members to the team.
Experienced Postmaster Kalyan Kumar Maschyaraj and Jagpal Garg are co-owners of the new branch.
READ MORE
- Popeyes officially opens, bringing 'the spirit of New Orleans' to Basingstoke
- Popeyes superfan pays 'substantial amount' to bagsie first spot in queue
- Robotic trolley system to speed up delivery of medicine in popular pharmacy
- Basingstoke Wetherspoon pubs named in CAMRA's Good Beer Guide 2026
- Finish line in sight as popular running shop will move to new location next week
Mr Maschyaraj, who is also the postmaster of Post Offices in Peterfield, Hounslow and Byfleet said: "Many people don’t know we are opening, it's not finished, we are still working in the nighttime
"We are here to help the local people and are looking for their support as well.
“As long as local government works together, we will try to keep the businesses going. If they don’t support businesses, the high street will die.”
Mr Garg added: “The Post Office is like a second home for the public, especially for elderly people or vulnerable people.
“It’s all about customer service now with everything online, you need to give the customer a reason to come back.
“When the customer leaves, he will be happy that he gets the best service when he walks in the door, and he is leaving with a smile on his face.
“We are trying our best to serve the public."
The soft launch of the new branch was held on October 1, while a date for the grand opening is yet to be revealed.
The currently empty space on the shelves will be filled following customer feedback, according to the owners.
Lorraine Upton is the manager of the Post Office and continues over from the WHSmith branch.
She said: "We all got a bit disheartened when WH Smith closed, fortunately, Kalyan saw us before WHSmith closed, we have been on standby all this time.
“I am glad to be back to work, we used to be really busy, we just need to build up the trade and get them back”
She explained that people have been walking past the shop all week, rattling the doors to see if the Post Office was open.
She continued: “We are gonna do our utmost to do it all up again, it's been seven months, so we have got to build up.
"We are all glad to be back.”
Share