NEWPORT's new post office in the Kingsway Centre was officially opened yesterday (MON) by Dame Rosemary Butler.

The Newport West AM joined branch manager Juliet Thomas-Davies to cut the ribbon, praising it as "a great service for Newport”.

The branch has recently relocated from Bridge Street to 750 metres away in the Sovereign Arcade at the Kingsway Centre.

Dame Rosemary said: “I am delighted to open the newly-relocated Newport post office. Situated in Kingsway Centre, the branch will be easily accessible and will continue to offer a wide range of services with the same opening hours for its customers.

“The post office plays a vital role in the local community and I encourage shoppers, businesses and residents to support this facility and continue to use the services on offer.”

Branch manager Juliet Thomas-Davies said: “The staff and customers have been wowed by the fresh new look of the branch, which can provide financial services in private professional offices.

“Everyone has been bowled over by the three fantastic new self-service kiosks, which are easy to use and reduce waiting times for all who want to post things.

“It’s a wonderful new state-of-the-art post office suitable for the regeneration of Newport city centre.”

The new Newport post office will be open 9am to 5.30pm on Mondays, Wednesdays, Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays and 9.30am to 5.30pm on Tuesday.

The service has a total of seven counters, six of which are open-plan positions while the final counter is a traditional screened position for high-value transactions.

There is also three self-service kiosks, a mails acceptance point and two private consultation rooms, where customers can discuss financial services.

Roger Gale, general manager of the post office’s Crown Network, said: “We have been committed to maintaining post office services in Newport and we are pleased that this new service is being welcomed in such a positive way by our customers.

“We understand how important post office services are to people in the area. We wanted to make it easier for customers to do business with us, and we are confident this new modern branch is meeting the needs of customers while helping us to secure services for the future.”