Post Office opens 3000th seven day a week store on 21st anniversary of Sunday shopping

The Post Office will become one of the largest retail networks working seven days a week to keep up with changing consumer needs, with the opening of the 3000th seven day a week store.

Research shows almost a third of consumers would be more likely to use a Post Office branch if it was open on a Sunday; the 3000th store opening in Norfolk will become the latest to trade all week long.

On the 21st anniversary, since shops opened on a Sunday for the first time, the Post Office is marking one of their biggest achievements in the largest modernisation programme in its history. Changing consumer needs as well as the instant culture of online shopping and next day delivery has increased the pressure on retailers to provide easy access to a wide range of services from banking to home shopping collections and returns.

As part of the modernisation programme, the Post Office is also extending trading hours so stores are open from early in the morning to late evening, with three now open 24/7. Their research shows almost half of people using a collection point usually pick up their items outside the weekly hours of nine to five.

Currently the transformation has provided the public with an additional 150k opening hours from the modernisation of 4500 branches around the UK. By the end of its modernisation programme the Post Office aims to have transformed 8000 branches, as well as investing £20m in 3000 community branches which are often the last shop in the village.

The Bergh Apton store at Green Pastures Plant Centre; which opened on Monday 24th August and will host its first Sunday service this Bank Holiday weekend, highlights the local culture of the network as it is set in the heart of a family-run garden centre, farm shop and restaurant.

The new branch will bring the retailer closer to its goal of becoming the UK’s largest network trading seven days a week which it expects to reach within the next year.