Westbury Mayor Cllr Jane Russ officially reopened the town’s High Street Post Office to restore services to the town.
The branch is located inside a new Londis convenience store at 30 High Street with postmistress Ambika Kajanthan in charge.
The reopening has restored a Post Office and vital banking services to the town’s main shopping area.
Cllr Russ said: “Westbury desperately needed a Post Office, so I really want to thank Ambika Kajanthan for investing in her new business.
“It will make a huge difference to the lives of residents and businesses in Westbury and the surrounding area for banking, send parcels and so much more, without having to travel elsewhere.”
The High Street branch closed in January 2023 when McColls convenience store, where the branch had been based, was closed as part of cutbacks.
Matters were made worse when the Dilton Marsh Post Office also closed due to the resignation of the operator.
With no banks left in Westbury and other nearby banks closed, customers were forced to travel further afield for services.
Ambika Kajanthan, from Westbury, saw the real need to re-open a Post Office at the heart of Westbury. She too had been affected by the closure of the Post Office and local bank branches.
The former premises were empty, so Ambika had to start from scratch adding a Post Office and Londis convenience store, which opened at the same time.
She said: “There are no banks in Westbury. As a Barclays customer my nearest bank was a 40-minute drive away in Bath after the Warminster Barclays closed.
“I didn’t have the time to do that journey and many people were in the same position, so I decided to re-open the Post Office in Westbury.
“Alongside is a great-looking Londis store with energy-efficient lighting and chillers. The whole store looks welcoming and people know me as I have lived and worked in Westbury for five years.
“The community is delighted that High Street Post Office is open again as they really missed their branch as it was a place where they could do their banking, send parcels, do home shopping returns, pay bills and get travel money.
“I really want to thank the Town Council and Post Office for their support getting the store open.”
The Post Office will open for 60 hours a week, Monday to Saturday from 8am to 6pm. The Londis store is open daily from 7am-10pm.
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