CUSTOMERS are set to benefit from a raft of changes after a major Post Office revamp.

The branch at the Riverview Centre, in Vange, will close for more than two weeks while it is transformed into a new-look “local” Post Office.

It will be open for an extra 16 hours a week, including Saturday afternoons.

A range of products, including banking, insurance, travel money and bill payments, will all be accessible at the shop counter, thanks to a new open plan layout.

Customers currently have to use a separate screened counter for non-postal services.

Kevin Shepherd, area manager, said: “We know how important Post Office services are to residents in Basildon and we are confident this vibrant, new-style Post Office at the heart of the community will be popular.

“The modernisation is part of a major Government investment programme, enabling us to continue investing in the Post Office network and to map out a bold growth strategy to the end of the decade.”

The branch will be open from 9am until 6pm, Monday to Saturday.

It currently closes at 5.30pm Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday, and 1pm Wednesday and Saturday.

The revamp work will start Wednesday, October 22, with the new-look store set to be unveiled at 1pm on Friday, November 7.

The new “local” concept has been designed to combine traditional Post Office services with the retail side, and aims to offer extended opening hours to help working customers.

While the branch is closed, residents’ nearest Post Offices will be at Tesco Extra, in Pitsea, and Timberlog Lane, in Vange.