UOE recognised for great service in the Financial Times

UOE’s retail division – UOE Store – has been recognised in the Financial Times for its excellent offer to customers, as part of a wider article covering the Post Office’s transformation.

UOE took on the former Crown post office in East Finchley as a franchise in 2014, and sales have since rocketed by more than 50%.

UOE’s MD and Postmaster, Elliot Jacobs, commented in the newspaper on the advantages of bringing together the Post Office with the office supplies retail business which enables the overheads and footfall of the business’s to be combined to create a profitable model. UOE has since taken on additional branches in Potter’s Bar and Hertford, again blending the two businesses.

Customers interviewed at the East Finchley branch shared the benefits of change for them, citing the more modern premises and reduced queueing time. This is particularly impressive as the community had raised concerns about the impact that moving their Crown branch might have on service levels.

The article, on page 2 of the Financial Times, addresses the wider changes that the Post Office is making across to ensure that its services for communities around the UK can be sustained for future generations.

The CWU and Unite current ballots for industrial action are referenced, with union leaders sharing concerns over the impact of franchising on customer service levels, redundancies and proposed closure of the defined benefit pension scheme to future accruals from March 2017.

It also gives highlights of Post Office Limited’s recent annual report, which showed operating losses halving on the previous year, whilst revenues held at £976m.

You can read the full article here (subscription may be required to access the Financial Times).