MP cuts the ribbon at Kingsthorpe Post Office, restoring service to this area of Northampton

Michael Ellis, MP for Northampton North “cut the ribbon” on Friday to officially open Kingsthorpe Post Office at a new location - 18 Alexandra Terrace, Kingsthorpe, Northampton, NN2 7SJ.

The former empty shop has been fully refurbished to become Kingsthorpe Post Office and a convenience store called Fran’s. The meaning behind the store’s name is that it is the combination of the first names of the new owners Frédérick Brejouin and Anikó Gondos.

Michael Ellis MP: “It is excellent news that Kingsthorpe Post Office has re-opened again following a period of closure. It will provide vital services to this area of Northampton. This is especially important for banking, so businesses and individuals can now do their banking here at their local Post Office. The store looks very good, and I want to thank Frédérick Brejouin and Anikó Gondos for taking on this shop. They are very enthusiastic and determined to make a success of their business.”

Frédérick is originally from Brittany in France and Anikó is from Budapest in Hungary. They both arrived in the UK in 2014 and met the following year whilst both working in the same restaurant in London for just a few months. They kept in touch when Frederick went to work for a French company in London, selling seafood to high quality hotels, restaurants and shops including The Dorchester and Harrods. Anikó went to work in a delicatessen in Chelsea. They married in 2021.

They are both passionate about delivering first class customer service. After working for a variety of different food companies, they decided that they wanted to run their own business. They chose a Post Office and convenience store as there was an “obvious need” in Kingsthorpe close to where they were living in Northamptonshire. The previous Kingsthorpe Post Office, in a nearby location, closed in May 2022 when the store closed.

Postmaster Frédérick Brejouin said: “In the first week that we were open we had so many people coming in to do their banking – there was obviously a really big need for a Post Office here. People have already made us feel really welcome. It’s great to have experienced Post Office staff who are well-known by the community. We watched the Coronation with our staff in the shop and people invited us to their Coronation events, but we wanted to stay open to serve the community.”

Kingsthorpe Post Office is still a mains branch offering the same wide range of Post Office products and services as before. There are three Post Office counters. Three very experienced members of staff, who previously worked at Kingsthorpe Post Office before, are all working at the new branch. Customers are delighted to see the familiar faces and to meet the new owners.

The main counter is open Monday – Saturday: 9am – 5pm. The Post Office service point alongside the retail counter of the convenience store, offering selected services, is open Monday to Saturday: 8am – 7pm; Sunday: 10am – 4pm. This offers 72 hours of Post Office service a week for the convenience of customers.

The convenience store sells newspapers and magazines, tobacco and alcohol. Frédérick and Anikó are busy serving customers and chatting to them to find out what extra products and retail ranges would also be popular.

Anthony Bayley, Post Office Network Provision Lead, said: “We are delighted to have restored a Post Office to this area as we know how important a Post Office is to a community. The branch’s opening hours make it convenient for customers to visit and there is excellent customer service.”