The Postshop concept

The idea for the Postshop concept came up in 1990 when we started to sell postal-related products such as envelopes, padded bags, post cards, greeting cards, etc.

Proper research was conducted in mid-1992 to diversify into retailing of office and school stationery. The Northern Division was used as our fist area of research where we visit ed more than 40 schools. In the process, we talked to principals, school committees, parents and stu dents. In urban areas, we talked to business people and office workers to find how interested they were in the new concept.

We were overwhelmed by the favourable response from the cus tomers which gave us confidence that the concept should be success ful. We set up the Suva Postshop at

the end of December 1992, with the retailing of postcards, greeting cards and postakelated products and we added school and office stationery as part of diversifying into new prod ucts.

Now we have more than 30 outlets Fiji wide with a wide selection of school and office stationery, sou venirs, magazines, novels, children’s books, etc., in addition to our postal products: Handipost, Handibox, Mail Tubes, Jiffy Lite Bags, etc.

We are looking at setting up fully fledged postshops at Lautoka, Lakeba, Levuka, Lomaloma and Vunisea by the of 1995, in addition to Suva, Savusavu and Labasa Postshops.

We intend to set up Postshops at all of our 50 post offices by the end of 1996. ■