The owners of Southwold Post Office will find out tonight whether they have won the prestigious Independent Post Office Retailer of the Year Award.
Husband and wife Guy Mitchell and Sarah Green, who have owned the post office for 12 years, will travel down to the capital today for a glitzy award ceremony at London’s Hilton Hotel.
A popular attraction in the Suffolk seaside town, the High Street shop, know as Southwold Post Office Toys and Stationary (SPOTS), includes a toy shop, gift shop and card shop - with the post office in the back.
Mr Mitchell described the nomination as a ‘tremendous achievement’.
He said: “We are really pleased to have been recognised as one of the best independent retailers in the country.
“There are over 11,500 Post Office branches throughout the country and the vast majority are small independent businesses like ours.
“To be in the top ten is a tremendous achievement for us.”
The awards, now in their 12th year, celebrate the successes of top performing branches across the post office network.
Spots’ award nomination comes just a year after the shop scooped the prize for the best greeting card shop in East Anglia.
With the closure of the town’s Lloyds ATM, the post office is now one of the few places in Southwold where people can take out cash.
However, the couple announced in September they were looking to move on, putting the Post Office up for sale.
Although a buyer is yet to be found, Mr Mitchell said the award nomination should help push forward the sale, describing it as a ‘ringing endorsement’ of the status of the business.
Mrs Green said they were keeping their fingers crossed until tonight’s award reveal.
She said: “Last July we were named as the best Greeting Card Retailer in East Anglia.
“To win this following on from our success last year, would be wonderful.
“We are keeping their fingers crossed.
“To have been singled out for this is a reflection on the hard work of the while team here at Spots and the Post Office”
Mr Mitchell added: “We’re really looking forward to our big night in London and are very proud to have received recognition at a national level, he added.”
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