Finsbury Park’s franchised Post Office has officially launched after the long row over its takeover.

The branch, in Seven Sisters Road, opposite the park itself, is now doubling as a stationery shop.

When the Post Office was consulting on its plans to merge the branch last year, activists from the Communication Workers Union (CWU) lobbied members of the public not to buy franchisee Rizwan Salahuddin’s goods.

They said the merger was part of the “managed decline” of crown post offices, with franchised branches supposedly offering inferior service and worse working conditions.

But in a press release this week, the Post Office gushed that business has increased with “great feedback from customers about the service they are receiving”.

The Post Office said it is providing the same services as before, with five serving positions and staff working exclusively on Post Office services.