New look Aviemore Post Office providing much longer opening hours
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Post Office bosses have said they are delighted to have found a long term solution to delivering the service in Aviemore.
They have also welcomed the much longer opening hours that will be available to customers at the now refurbished and reopened branch at the Myrtlefield Shopping Centre.
The shop is being operated by Postmaster Stephen Bruce and his partner Chris Lewis who are no strangers to working behind a counter.
The pair run the Kilted Fudge Company on the Dalfaber Industrial Estate at the north end of the village and will use their new premises as a more prominent outlet for their award-winning produce.
They will eventually be providing an extra 26 hours of Post Office service a week including all-day Saturday and Sunday service once the retail shop is fully open and lockdown ends.
The branch is also opening earlier and closing much later every day.
In recent years, there had been uncertainty over the hours of operation for the branch especially after the Covid lockdown at the end of last March.
Kenny Lamont, Post Office Network Provision Manager, said the changes will make it far more convenient for customers to visit the branch and the same wide range of products and services will be available.
He commented: “We are delighted to have found a permanent solution to provide Post Office services in central Aviemore area as we know how important Post Office services are to a community.
"Opening hours are also much longer. The refurbished shop and Post Office work very well together.”
The Kilted Fudge Company has been running since 2014 but Covid has put paid to one of its main sales outlets – at events across the region.
Mr Bruce told the Strathy at the time they completed the deal for the Post Office: “We’re doing really well at Dalfaber and we have a small shop there but a lot of people don’t know we are there.”
He said that Aviemore fully warrants its own full-time dedicated Post Office: “As I said before, this is not a village any more. Aviemore by any interpretation is a town now and people do not want to be driving five or seven miles to do their postal duties.”
The Kilted Fudge Company recently featured in comedian Susan Calman’s Secret Scotland on Channel 5.
Previous Aviemore postmaster Ernest Kopp retired last year and the branch was taken over on a temporary part-time basis.
It had been part of Aviemroe News, a newsagent's and card shop.
Mr Bruce and Mr Lewis took over the Post Office and shop at the end of January.
The branch had been closed for a few days whilst the premises were refurbished and has just re- opened.
The current hours are Monday to Friday 9am to 5pm and Saturday 9am to 12.30pm and closed Sunday.
Once lockdown ends and the retail premises are ready, opening hours will be Monday to Saturday 8am to 5.30pm, and Sunday 9am to 5.30pm.
