The Subpostmaster
LBM produces the monthly magazine The Subpostmaster and and provides daily news articles for its website nfsp.org.uk.
WHAT IS A SUBPOSTMASTER?
There are around 11,500 post offices in the UK. Subpostmasters are not Post Office employees, they are independent retailers and are generally paid a commission for the transactions they carry out (with the exception of some rural branches which continue to receive a fixed payment). Most subpostmasters run their post office business under the same roof as another retail business. In urban areas this is often a newsagent or stationery business. In rural areas it is typically a village shop. Subpostmasters sell a wide variety of products and provide many services to the communities they support. A reader survey in May 2017 showed this range to be as follows:
| Category | Percentage stocking |
| Greetings cards | 95 |
| Stationery | 90 |
| Confectionery | 77 |
| Soft Drinks | 73 |
| Bagged snacks (crisps etc.) | 63 |
| Gifts/Novelties | 53 |
| Household goods/non-food | 57 |
| Tobacco | 58 |
| Lottery | 59 |
| Ice cream | 55 |
| Newspapers and magazines | 52 |
| Dairy products | 52 |
| Chilled foods | 48 |
| Health and beauty products | 44 |
| Bakery products | 44 |
| Packaged groceries | 42 |
| Frozen food | 44 |
| Alcohol | 43 |
| Fresh Fruit and vegetables | 37 |
| Fast food/Food to go | 33 |
And services provided include:
- Postal services
- Banking and mortgages
- Bill payments
- Benefits and pension encashments
- Driving licence applications, car insurance and car tax
- Passport applications
- Bureau-de-Change and travel insurance
- Telephone service, phonecards, mobile phone vouchers and E-top ups
- Personal loans
- Savings stamps
- Home insurance
- Postal orders and MoneyGram
- Local travel tickets
These extensive lists demonstrate that this is a wide ranging and vibrant market with great potential for suppliers.