Ms Debbie Byrne:

My point is the age profile is changing, which is interesting. Annually, about 65% of people were using a post office, and I cannot recall the monthly figures off the top of my head. Within the age profile, there was a shift, with younger people using the post office more frequently in the past three years, and I think the reasons for that are threefold. First, online shopping, with people either collecting or returning a parcel, is driving in new footfall, which is why we have invested heavily in commercial training with postmasters. If that footfall is driven in, postmasters and postmistresses then have to find a way to sell. We have to move from being a purely service business - we are a service organisation - into having a commercial focus for postmasters while providing that good service.

Moreover, during the pandemic, there has been a significant boom in the younger population coming in, buying gift packaging and sending gifts. We are still investing heavily in a campaign to encourage people to stay connected and send love. We now hear people saying it was so nice to have received a thank-you card or whatever, and we would hope people will continue with that.