A COMMUNITY Post Office and shop has celebrated a new chapter in its history.

Leslie and Tim Francis, of Enham Village Shop and Post Office, held a grand relaunch as the store has recently joined the Spar brand to bring new products to its customers.

The ribbon was officially cut by the then mayor of Test Valley, Councillor Ian Carr, in one of his final duties in the role before it was passed on to Councillor Martin Hatley.

Leslie and Tim made the move to join up with the well-known chain after their former supplier Palmer and Harvey collapsed.

“It has been a very tough 18 months since our original supplier went bust, certainly the last five to six months has been very difficult to maintain a standard of product range and availability for our customers,” Leslie said.

For over a year the couple have been working to find products wanted by their customers.

“From having a regular supplier we went to getting one delivery a week from a little supplier and having to supply the rest from elsewhere.

“Now we have got deliveries five days a week, fresh and ambient products to the door.”

Despite the change of name above the door, the pair say that they will continue their renowned community and charity efforts.

“We can have a focus on the local community and local producers, that is one thing we have always done and it gives us the time to do that,” Leslie added.

By being part of the Spar chain the couple will also come under the umbrella of the buying group which means it can focus on engaging with the community.

“I am really excited about the Spar range we have fresh food to go to keep up with customer demands, you can walk in here and get it fresh — that is something we really struggled with before.”

During the celebration dozens of regular customers attended to pass on their congratulations, take a look at the new offerings and give them a taste.