Santander is set to close more high street branches permanently next week, with three other sites set to lose a crucial service. Here’s everything you need to know
Santander is poised to close seven high street branches next week whilst scrapping a crucial service at three additional locations.
The banking giant is permanently shutting more high street branches next week, with three further sites losing their counter service.
Santander will close seven branches between Monday, 11 August, and Thursday, 17 August. The bank will also withdraw counter services at three more locations this week. This comes after news that Nationwide will pay bonus £760 into accounts of customers who do one thing.
From Monday, August 11, counter services will be discontinued at its branches in Camberley, Orpington, and Rotherham.
A spokesperson for Santander UK said: “As customer behaviour changes, we are ensuring that our branches remain fit for the future.”
They continued, stating: “Our new combination of full-service branches, alongside Work Cafés, counter-free branches and reduced hours branches, aims to provide the right balance between digital banking and face-to-face money management and guidance.”
The spokesperson added: “As a business, we must move with customers and balance our investment across all the places where we interact with customers, to deliver the very best for them now and in the future.”
The complete list of Santander closures features three branches having closed down in Brixton, Formby, and Sidcup on Monday, August 11.
Today, Tuesday, August 12, will see the Edgware Road branch in London close its doors, followed by the Willerby branch in North Humberside on Wednesday, August 13.
Finally, the Plympton branch in Devon will permanently cease operations on Thursday, August 14. Despite these closures, Santander’s counter-free branches will continue to provide face-to-face service from staff, albeit without traditional teller counters.
In addition, Santander is broadening its work café network, offering co-working spaces for local communities and businesses. These spaces are available for use free of charge to all of the public, even non-customers.
Santander maintains that 93% of the UK population will still be within 10 miles of a branch, with customers also having the option to bank at over 11,000 Post Office branches and 112 banking hubs.
Note that all branches due to close are conveniently located within one mile of the nearest Post Office. In addition, Santander partnered with Macmillan Cancer Support in June, writing an email to its customers “whose life has been turned upside down by illness”.
Birmingham Live reports the bank to have written: “Our branch and contact centre colleagues have had specialist training from Macmillan. That means they’re ready to listen and offer practical support. Then you can get back to the things that matter most, like your family and friends.”
The email also stated Santander to have a new “dedicated page” full of “resources to help if you’re worried about money,” along with “practical support” to “help with how you’re feeling”.