The SubPostmaster Magazine

NFSP feature: Post office in focus
“Since we opened, I have given my
leaflets to more than 500 different
businesses myself, rather than my
staff doing it,” Rizwan says.
“I've introduced myself to them,
been myself and I’ve asked them to
come and use the post office, as we
are here to help and support them.”
Rizwan’s new leaflets highlight that
his post office offers services from
DPD and Evri.
Rizwan also created his own
website, which is located at
www.seastationers.com.
“I’m going to take the business
online as well,” Rizwan says, “It’s
under construction at the moment.”
Post Office customer
sessions
Rizwan says that in 2017, when Wood
Green Post Office was inside the
library, customer sessions for that
branch were around 3,500 per week.
“Once they moved the post office
from the library to WHSmith,
customer sessions dropped
massively. Before I took over – and
received a branch proposal from PO
– the customer session was around
2,200.”
Rizwan has previous experience of
falling customer sessions, when he
relocated Grays Inn Post Office in
2017.
“At that particular time, after we
relocated, it took us six months to get
back customers,” he says.
“We have been open for three
weeks. I checked my customer
sessions last week and it was at 2,100
already, but I want to break 3,000
customer sessions a week.
“Using different platforms for
marketing the post office, I forecast
that within a month we’ll grow to
3,000-3,500 customer sessions – back
to the numbers the old Crown
branch had.”
The banking hub
On November 19, 2023, Rizwan
started his banking hub on Welling
High Street in Bexleyheath.
“There are only two banking hubs
in London, and one of them is mine,”
he says. “The banking hub is doing
very well.
“I applied for four banking hubs
and got shortlisted for all four of
them. I decided only to go with one,
and was accepted.”
The hub features two counters that
process all the banking transactions.
A Post Office stalwart
In addition to the branches he has
worked or owned, Rizwan has also
worked directly for PO in a number of
roles.
“In 2013, I started as a part-time
guiding coalition coach for PO
visiting postmasters to train them on
how to increase their remuneration,
and also running them through
compliance.
“I worked as a customer
relationship manager from 2015 to
2019, and the Peer Support
programme was launched, which I
RIZWAN’S TOP TIPS FOR POSTMASTERS
WORK HARD AND DON’T GIVE UP
“Be positive, give 100% and never give
up – hard work always pays off,” Rizwan
says.
“I started from scratch, and have had
days in the past where I didn’t have any
money to buy food. I have never given
up and now I’m the postmaster of four
branches and the operator of a banking
hub. I work every day until 8pm and
every day I visit two or three branches.
“I have managers now, but you need
to give them training.
"Every day I want feedback and I want
an individual report from each branch
on WhatsApp, informing me what they
have done, on both the retail and post
office sides.”
SETTING STANDARDS
Rizwan says that he has received many
offers of new branches from outside of
London, but concedes that it will be
difficult for him to manage those.
“Whether I have five post offices or
eight post offices, the standard has to be
same,” he explains.
“I don’t want to go for every post
office. I want to go only for post offices
where I know that my standard is going
to be same, where I know that I can
send my experienced staff members or I
can find a person in that particular area
where I know that person is a
professional, a person I can trust, who’s
not going to let down the post office
standard or my standards.”
am still part of.”
Rizwan also attends NFSP
meetings regularly.
“There have been many
achievements in my career over the
last 20 years,” he says. “Post Office
remains a trusted brand.
“I would like to take this
opportunity to say thank you to the
entire team at PO, my branch
managers and team members, and
last but not least my family, my wife,
Shanila, and my two little angel kids,
Ayaan and Emaan.”
Rizwan’s CV
2003 – Arrives in
the UK. Counter
clerk at Page
Green Post Office
in Seven Sisters
2006 – Assistant
manager at
Edgware Road Post
Office, rising to
branch manager
2008 – Branch manager at Bruce
Grove Post Office in Tottenham
2010 – Assistant branch manager at
Lower Regent Street Post Office,
promoted to branch manager
2013 – Branch manager at Grays Inn
Post Office
2017 – takes on Finsbury Park Post
Office
2019 – takes on his second branch,
Green Lane Post Office, Harringay
2023 – takes over Essex Road Post
Office
2023 – opens banking hub in Welling
High Street, Bexleyheath
2024 – opens fourth branch, Wood
Green Post Office in The Mall, Wood
Green
SHOP TALK
Wood Green Post Office, Wood Green
Shopping Mall, London
Staff: Seven: Three full-time, four
part-time
Opening hours: Monday to Saturday
(9am-5.30pm). Sunday (11am-5pm)
Size of branch: 830 sqft
PO counters: Three: Two Fortress and
one combi counter
PO services: Main branch: Mails,
returns, banking, forex, travel insurance,
DVLA, passports
Retail: Educational books, gifts,
passport photos, print station, stationery
20
The SubPostmaster April 2024