First-class effort at Kirkwall Post Office

As the Kirkwall Post Office settles into its new leadership, there seems to be many changes on the horizon.

Shetland postmaster Brian Smith took over the running of the Kirkwall Post Office earlier this month, after the shock announcement that Universal Office Equipment (UOE) were closing the branch indefinitely on September 21.

He has already started getting the hub back into shape, restocking stationery and supplies, as well as looking to expand the Post Office shop floor into becoming the place to go for cards.

In Lerwick, Mr Smith runs a cards shop alongside the post office, which inspired him to look at a similar business venture here in Orkney.

“I’ve decided that obviously we need to have stationery and things on sale here,” Mr Smith explained as he outlined his vision for how the busy branch could evolve under his tenure.

“But it is quite a large space, and I think that we could actually devote a lot more to it. And within a few days, I thought that having greetings cards in here — which in my main shop up in Shetland is the biggest product we sell.”

The postmaster has been assisted by two previous members of staff offering  to come back to help revive the vital service.

This has enabled Mr Smith to focus his efforts on other aspects of the Post Office to help get it running to its full potential.

Brian started a full clear out of old stock and store rooms. He hopes that this fresh start will help make the running of the business more efficient, as well as clearing the way for the new supplies and stock.

Mr Smith is already investing heavily into these changes, with the cost for shipping up four pallets of card racks alone costing around £1,500.

With more staff starting in the coming weeks, it should not take long to see the impact of Mr Smith’s efforts.

Mr Smith admitted currently he does not feel ready for the inevitable Christmas rush.

“Come the start of November, that’s when it’s going to start to go absolutely crazy in the Post Office,” he said.

“The time it takes to do international post in particular is quite crippling.”

The queues build quickly at Christmas time, especially when people have multiple international parcels to post.

Though he has more joining his team soon, training new staff will not be a quick job while simultaneously getting the business back on its feet.

Mr Smith hopes that streamlining the process will make it easier, though it will not prevent the Christmas queues.

“Because I’ve run the Post Office up in Shetland for over 20 years, I know how to run it efficiently,” Mr Smith confirmed.

“I know the documents that you need to keep and what you don’t need to keep. I’ve made things as streamlined as possible, so the transactions run so much easier and quicker.”

Mr Smith has described his welcome to Orkney as “absolutely fantastic” with people coming in specifically to speak to him and thank him for stepping into the role.

Though Mr Smith was informed that he is in the role on a temporary basis, he hopes that once people see the changes he is making to the Post Office, he will be invited to stay on.

However, where the Post Office would be located in a year’s time is yet to be determined, with postal chiefs confirming their intention to relocate the branch.

Mr Smith hopes that the new location will be somewhere big enough, suitable and accessible in the heart of Kirkwall.

A Post Office spokesperson said: “We know how important Kirkwall Post Office is to its community. We are delighted that Kirkwall Post Office was able to re-open again this month thanks to highly experienced postmaster, Brian Smith, taking on the branch on a temporary basis.

“We are still planning for a permanent solution for Kirkwall Post Office. Any potential relocation would be in line with our principles for community engagement.”