POL00023611
POL00023611
Updated 20/08/2019
DOCUMENT 8
Post Office Facts and Figures
Our role and reach
The Post Office has provided vital services at the heart of communities across the UK for
around 370 years. There are around 11,500 Post Office branches across the UK, 98% of
these are run with retail partners on an agency or franchise basis. 99.7% of the
population live within 3 miles of a Post Office and nearly 93% live within 1 mile. Along
with a significant online business, we are the biggest retail network in the UK, with more
branches than all the banks and building societies combined
Publicly owned following separation from Royal Mail in 2012, Post Office has
modernised 7,700 branches, with over 200,000 extra opening hours. Thousands of Post
Offices now open early in the morning until late in the evening, with around 4,000
branches open on Sundays, making Post Office services more accessible and convenient
The Post Office continues to evolve and adapt to meet the ever-changing demands of
customers. In the last few years, as part of a modernisation and investment programme,
more than 200 communities now have a brand new Post Office branch. In 2018, Post
Office also acquired Payzone’s bill payment business, providing customers with around
25,000 Payzone and Post Office locations to pay their bills
95% of the population say they use Post Office at least once a year and more than 850m
customer transactions are undertaken every year
In 2011/12, the Post Office was making a loss of £120 million. In 2017/18, Post Office
turned a growing profit for the second consecutive year, and further reduced our
reliance on taxpayer subsidy
As a commercial business the Post Office is driven also by its social purpose. As the hub
of many towns and villages across the UK it understands the important role the local
Post Office branch plays within communities, especially for older and more vulnerable
members of society
For many, the Post Office remains an important source of their customers’ social
interaction as well as providing important access to their essential needs. Postmasters
up and down the country offer more than just a range of services - in many cases they
are integral to their local community, making a meaningful impact to society within their
towns and villages
Our Services
Post Office offers over 170 different products and services, spanning financial services
including savings, loans, insurance and mortgages; as well as Government services;
POL00023611
POL00023611
broadband and home phone; foreign currency; travel insurance; LocalCollect, Drop and
Go mail services and much more
It’s the UK’s largest contactless payment network with over 30,000 terminals
Millions of bill payments from council tax payments to electricity and phone are made at
Post Office branches every year. In addition, Everyday Banking services mean customers
are able to access their usual High St bank account at any Post Office branch, meaning
that both personal and business banking customers can withdraw cash, deposit cash and
cheques, check their balance and get change at their nearby Post Office. There are more
than 100m banking transactions a year
POL00023611
POL00023611
Post Office has provided savings accounts to customers across the UK for over 150 years
and also supplies travel currency to more people across the UK than any other provider
Mail services offered at Post Office branches help deliver cards and presents to and from
millions of consumers each year, and support the nation’s booming online shopping
industry. Drop & Go mail services for thousands of business and e-tailers allow them to
simply drop off their parcels and we make sure they are ready and priced for posting