High street lender Santander has announced around 750 jobs are at risk of redundancy under plans to shut another 95 branches as part of an overhaul of its network. A “refreshed network” will include 49 branches. 290 of these will be “full-service”, 36 reduced hours and 18 counter-free. There will also be five Work Cafés. These provide a “hub for local communities and businesses, including co-working space, superfast WiFi and dedicated event space”.
They can be accessed for free by customers and non-customers. Bosses say the changes will “better serve the changing needs” of their customers. “As customer behaviour changes, we are ensuring that our branches remain fit for the future,” a spokesperson for Santander UK said. “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.”
They 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.
“Closing a branch is always a very difficult decision and we spend a great deal of time assessing where and when we do this and how to minimise the impact it may have on our customers.
“However, we believe that the introduction of our new Community Bankers and the exciting plans we have for our remaining network of 349 branches and Work Cafés, alongside the rapid and innovative improvements to our award-winning mobile banking app, will provide the right balance of digital banking and human interaction when required.”
A full list of the branches to close an be found here.
Counter-free branches enable customers to interact with staff face-to-face, but without the traditional banking teller behind a counter.
The “vast majority” of transactions can be undertaken in a counter free branch.
For those involving large cash withdrawals or coin, customers need use a Post Office.
