Q: My husband and I want to buy a small post office. Can you help us to find out where this type of business is advertised and what sort of training is available?
Aug 17 2005
Answered by: Philip Wilkinson Ask a question
A post office is not a stand-alone business. Usually what happens is you buy a business from someone else, commonly a newsagent or other small retail outlet, which has a sub-post office attached. So you’ve got to be confident about running the other business as well as the post office element.
For the post office element, your husband would be an employee of the Post Office and would receive a salary. Your husband would have to be acceptable to the post office and purchasing a business from an outgoing sub-postmaster does not guarantee this. You don’t say how old your husband is, but over 60s may not be acceptable. Apart from this your husband would have to be stable, honest and have an solid financial base - hopefully a retiring police officer would meet all these requirements.
Sub-post offices are advertised by estate agents, in a magazine called ‘The Sub-Postmaster’, in Dalton’s Weekly or The Daily Telegraph. In Scotland, solicitors often act as estate agents. Probably what you need to do, is to decide on the area of Scotland you would like to move to and then contact either Small Business Gateway (www.sbgateway.com; 0845-6096611) if you are drawn to the Lowlands, or Highlands and Islands Enterprise (www.hie.co.uk), which covers the Highlands. One of these organisations is likely to be able to provide you with a list of estate agents for the area. You should also ask what business help (advice, grants etc ) which could help you with the business you buy (not the post office bit).
‘The Sub-Postmaster’ is published by the National Federation of Sub-Postmasters (www.subpostmaster.org.uk, 01273-452324) and this organisation also provides help to anyone who wants to become a sub-postmaster. The Helpline for Post Office Counters should also be able to give you advice (www.ukpo.com/subpostmasterp; 0845-6016260).
Once you have identified your target outlet and been approved by the Post Office, but before you start work, the Post Office will supply you with a distance learning package and some support from a trainer in the first weeks of your new business.
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