Crystal Peaks Shopping Centre in which Sheffield City Council is an anchor tenant with its 90-stall ‘Market Place’ indoor market is located on the southern most boundary of the City of Sheffield serving the Mosborough townships.

In August 2005 following a £1.9M refurbishment The Market Place reopened and has remained a popular alternative to the usual high street stores having a wide range of good and services supported by very knowledgeable traders. The refurbishment used stalls from Newcastle Company Radfords Shelving but their versatility was to be put to the ultimate test later in 2005 when a whole new use was envisaged for them.

The Crystal Peaks Sub-Post Office had been situated in National newsagents GT News who mid 2005 decided to pull out of the shopping centre leaving the Post Office high and dry. Initially in order to keep the Post Office open it was accommodated on one of the shopping centres car parks in a temporary structure but something more permanent had to be provided otherwise their was the real possibility of the closure of yet another local post office.

At this point a cunning plan was hatched between local Councillors Ian Saunders and Chris Rosling Josephs along with local MP Clive Betts, Markets Manager, Andy Ward and Market trader Richard Jackson to save the Post Office and bring it into the market hall as a means of bolstering both businesses.

Agreement on funding for the project was reached between the City Council, the Centre Owners, Hermes and The Post Office and Richard Jackson of Simply Food agreed to take on the onerous task of becoming a postmaster and turning the post office into a going concern to complement his other business interests in the market hall.

In order to accommodate the Post Office it involved gaining the agreement of several traders to move stalls so that two stalls adjacent to each other could be used and these backed onto an under-utilised traders rest room which would become the back of house for the Post Office. The agreements, design and on site work took the best part of 18 months to achieve but on 20th September 2007, the sub Post Office opened to a great reception and is being well used even on Sundays having for instance quadrupled national lottery ticket sales when compared to its previous location on the car park.

It has done wonders for the market two and October footfall figures show a 10% increase over the same month last year. Both businesses have a very similar customer base and it is proving to be a match made in heaven. Pictured at the launch is local MP – Clive Betts.