Maxol post office to fill gap in branch network
Mark Gibson, public affairs manager of the Post Office; UUP councillor Paul Michael; licensees of the station Rhonda and Charles Henderson; and Maxol NI retail manager Kevin Paterson
The opening of a seven-day-a-week post office in a Maxol forecourt in Ballymena will be the first to serve the local community.
The post office at Maxol Townparks Service Station at 15 Ballymena Road, Antrim will be open every day from 7am to 11pm, offering a full range of post office services.
The branch is the first to serve the community around Ballymena Road and is one of the first of three modern local post office branches to open within the Maxol network in Northern Ireland.
Services will be offered from a low-screened, open-plan post office counter that is integrated into the retail counter, enabling customers to carry out post office transactions alongside retail and fuel purchases.
Maxol licensee’s, Charlie Henderson and wife Rhonda said: “Maxol continues to invest in Townparks Service Station to bring a variety of services to our valued customers and create a real destination station.
“Just before Christmas we introduced the new Maxol fresh food café Moreish with seating for 20 people and free Wi-Fi. The Post Office counter is another great service we are pleased to offer to our customers and the local community.”
Open for some 112 hours a week, the services available will include withdrawals using a post office card account, sending funds abroad using Moneygram, paying bills, pre-ordering travel money, applying for travel insurance, and mobile phone top-ups.
As the traditional banking network contracts, customers for the majority of UK banks can use their post office for online banking cash deposits, withdrawals, and bill payments.
Local councillor Paul Michael welcomed the move.
“This is great news for this very busy station and the local residents of the area,” he said.
Mark Gibson, post office public affairs manager, added: “We recognised the gap in our existing post office branch network and are delighted to be opening a brand new local branch, with the help of Maxol, which offers extended opening hours and a Sunday service, to meet the needs of the community around Ballymena Road, Antrim.
“We are making it easier for customers to get their cash, send and collect their mail and do their banking because we know how important these services are to local residents. This new branch is part of a major investment programme, the largest in the history of the Post Office and with the help of local companies such as Maxol, will secure services for the future.”
