Ripon’s main post office has opened within The Arcade, Ripon’s popular shopping destination, which has just undergone a £100,000 refurbishment.
The new-look post office is already enjoying a “fantastic footfall”, with owner Amy Kaur saying she is “absolutely thrilled” with her brand-new premises.
The old post office in Finkle Street closed last month.
Leading Bradford-based property development and investment company Frank Marshall Estates bought the arcade last year.
Edward Marshall, director of Frank Marshall Estates, said:
We are delighted that the city’s post office has enjoyed such a successful start to life in our refurbished and rebranded Arcade. It has dramatically increased footfall there.
The Arcade, which links the city’s main car park to the historic Market Square, is a fabulous new location for the post office. It is the beating heart of the city, with a really strong and consistent footfall.
It gives us great pleasure to welcome Amy Kaur, the owner of the post office, to the arcade. This move achieves our aim of giving the arcade a new identity and making it much more visible and more of an attraction from the Market Square side in particular.
Ripon is a sleeping giant and we believe our attractive, new-look development will give the city centre the game-changing regeneration boost it needs.
Amy Kaur said:
We couldn’t be happier in our super new home in the arcade. Disabled access is no problem, unlike at Finkle Street, and footfall is tremendous. We hope other new businesses will join us here in The Arcade. We can’t recommend it highly enough.
Edward Marshall has been most supportive, helping to create the perfect unit for us. Overall, we are very positive about our relocation which we believe is definitely right for us – and for the city of Ripon.
Edward Marshall said:
We have spent a great deal of time and money revitalising this property through one of the most difficult trading times in retail history to create what we believe to be a centre for retail in the great market city of Ripon. We are now looking to fill our last two shops, which provide a good opportunity for people to work for themselves and achieve financial freedom.
These two retail units, a ground floor unit of 240 sq ft and a ground floor and first floor unit of 520 sq. ft are available now. Any new tenants would become part of a very friendly and successful arcade, with occupiers including Caffe Tempo, Scrivens Opticians, Westwood Barbers and Phone +, who have just joined us.
They are all playing a crucial part, together with Fultons Frozen Foods, The British Heart Foundation, The Card Factory and Blue Cross, to the ever-increasing success of The Arcade and to the centre of Ripon.
We have great faith in the city. More affluent people are moving into the area with lots of housing to be built over the next few years and plenty going on in the area, for example, the superb new hotel, Grantley Hall. The great rural location is also a superb asset.
It would be good if someone with some drive and imagination invested in the rest of the city centre before it deteriorates any more.