Dean Russell, MP for Watford, “cut the ribbon” today to officially open The Pond Post Office and store which suffered a devastating fire in April.
The whole shop has been fully refitted after a major fire in April. There is a new-look Post Office and Londis convenience store at 145 The Parade, High Street, Watford, WD17 1NA.
Postmaster Mayank Patel and business partner, Ajay Shah, had only taken on the shop in April 2022 from Jatish Malde and his brother Divyesh, who had run the branch for nearly 30 years.
Dean Russell MP said: “I am delighted that The Pond Post Office is back open again as it is a very busy and popular branch. The community was upset that their Post Office was forced to close. People felt sad for the new owners about the big fire, especially as they had only taken over the previous April. Thankfully, the Post Office and convenience store has now been fully refurbished and the whole store looks great.”
Postmaster Mayank Patel said: “The community is very pleased to have The Pond Post Office back open again and the new Londis convenience store is even better than the one we had before.
“I will never forget 7 April – the night of the terrible fire. I was in India at that time. My business partner had got up early as usual to head to the shop for the newspaper rounds, when he received a call about the bad fire. Ajay phoned me and we were both in shock. We were determined to be able to open the business as soon as possible and we worked with the insurance company to achieve that.
“We had only been here a year, but, we had settled in quickly as the people around here are lovely. When the fire happened, we had lots of kind offers of help from the community as they wanted to assist us to get the Post Office re-open as soon as possible. There has been a lot of interest from residents, business and the nearby council offices.
Post Office Area Manager David Hempstead said: “We know how important this Post Office is to the community and we supported Postmaster Mayank Patel after the fire and to help to re-open the branch as quickly as possible and before the busy Christmas period.”
The opening hours for The Pond Post Office are Monday to Friday: 9am – 5.30pm; Saturday: 9am – 2pm.
The shop’s opening hours are Monday to Thursday: 6am – 8pm; Friday & Saturday: 6am – 10pm; Sunday: 6am – 6pm.
ENDS
Issued by
Post Office Press Office
100 Wood Street
LONDON, EC2V 7ER
Tel: 07436 038445 or 020 7012 3456 (24 hours),
Email: pressoffice@postoffice.co.uk www.postoffice.co.uk
Notes to editors
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With over 11,500 branches, Post Office has the biggest retail network in the UK, with more branches than all the banks and building societies combined.
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Post Office is helping anyone who wants cash to get it whichever way is most convenient. Partnership with over 30 banks, building societies and credit unions means that 99% of UK bank customers can access their accounts at their Post Office.
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Cash withdrawals, deposits and balance enquiries can be made securely and conveniently over the counter at any Post Office; and the biggest investment by any organisation or company in the last decade is being made to safeguard 1,400 free-to-use ATMs across the UK.
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Post Office is simplifying its proposition for Postmasters with a focus on its cash and banking; mails and parcels; foreign exchange; and bill payments services.
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Research has found that visits to the Post Office help drive another 400 million visitors to other shops, restaurants and local businesses equating to an estimated £1.1 billion in additional revenue for High Street businesses.
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99.7% of the population live within three miles of a Post Office; and 4,000 branches are open seven days a week.
