Yahoo Finance Santander to close 111 bank branches by end of August
Santander says branch transactions fell by a third over the two years before the pandemic and halved again in 2020
(AFP/Getty)Santander will close around a fifth of its branches by the end of August with around 5,000 staff to be offered new roles.
The bank said 111 branches will shut in response to a fall in over-the-counter transactions, as customers increasingly use online services.
Branch transactions fell by a third over the two years before the pandemic and halved again in 2020, Santander said.
Mobile and online transactions have been growing by 20 per cent each year, with almost two-thirds of transactions now digital.
Santander’s announcement marks the latest in a series of branch closures by major high street banks. A total of 368 branches closed their doors permanently last year, and according to Which?, Barclays shut the most with 105, followed by TSB with 95.
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Which? and other consumer groups have warned that the rapid disappearance of the UK’s banking network risks harming vulnerable groups who rely on access to cash and in-branch services.
Santander pointed out that most of the branches being closed are less than three miles from another Santander branch, and the furthest is five miles.
The lender said it expects to find alternative roles for a significant number of staff affected by the announcement.
The Communication Workers Union said it had reached an agreement with Santander on new ways of working which will preserve jobs and avoid compulsory redundancies.
National officer Sally Bridge said: “Recent membership surveys have indicated a desire from a large majority of those currently working from home for flexibility to continue after the pandemic, and this agreement achieves that for the majority of employees affected by these changes.
“Ultimately, however, faced with the proposals of site closures and consolidations, the deal we’ve negotiated has avoided compulsory redundancies by giving individuals genuine options, crucially protecting our most vulnerable members for whom dual-location arrangements were not suitable on account of their exceptional circumstances.
“Santander deserves credit for recognising its responsibilities to its employees, and I hope other employers follow the moral lead the bank has taken in what is likely to be one of the first of many far-reaching corporate readjustments to the post-Covid world of work.”
Adam Bishop, head of branches at Santander, said: “Branch usage by customers has fallen considerably over recent years so we have made the difficult decision to consolidate our presence in areas where we have multiple branches relatively close together.
“We will provide every support to customers of closing branches to find alternative ways to bank with us that best suit their individual needs.”
Full list of branches to be closed
Arnold - 12 August 2021
Ashby-de-la-Zouch - 29 July 2021
Ashford Church Road - 5 August 2021
Balham High Road - 24 June 2021
Banstead High Street - 1 July 2021
Barking - 12 August 2021
Beckenham - 12 August 2021
Bethnal Green - 15 July 2021
Bingley Main Street - 1 July 2021
Birmingham Erdington - 29 July 2021
Bishopsgate - 24 June 2021
Blaby - 1 July 2021
Bletchley - 8 July 2021
Bramhall - 5 August 2021
Brighouse Commercial Street - 15 July 2021
Brighton London Road - 1 July 2021
Bristol Bedminster - 29 July 2021
Camberwell - 29 July 2021
Castleford Carlton Street - 29 July 2021
Catford - 8 July 2021
Cheadle - 8 July 2021
Chelsea Kings Road - 8 July 2021
Chester-le-Street - 8 July 2021
Chingford Old Church Road - 1 July 2021
Chiswick - 15 July 2021
Chorlton-cum-Hardy - 8 July 2021
Clifton Whiteladies Road - 15 July 2021
Cobham - 12 August 2021
Cosham - 12 August 2021
Coulsdon - 29 July 2021
Dagenham - 15 July 2021
Dalkeith - 22 July 2021
Dalston - 12 August 2021
Darwen - 12 August 2021
Dewsbury - 12 August 2021
Dudley Merryhill - 24 June 2021
Edinburgh Morningside Road - 29 July 2021
Enfield Hertford Road - 5 August 2021
Finchley High Road - 24 June 2021
Fulham - 5 August 2021
Glasgow Kilmarnock Road - 8 July 2021
Glasgow Sauchiehall Street - 24 June 2021
Gosforth - 29 July 2021
Grays - 29 July 2021
Halesowen - 22 July 2021
Hanover Square - 1 July 2021
Harborne High Street - 5 August 2021
Harold Hill - 22 July 2021
Harpenden - 22 July 2021
Hatfield - 1 July 2021
Hayes Station Road - 8 July 2021
Haywards Heath - 1 July 2021
Hempstead Valley - 24 June 2021
High Holborn - 8 July 2021
Hinckley - 29 July 2021
Horsforth - 5 August 2021
Hounslow Bath Road - 15 July 2021
Huyton - 8 July 2021
Hyde Market Place - 15 July 2021
Leatherhead - 12 August 2021
Leeds Crossgates - 15 July 2021
Leicester Horsefair Street - 15 July 2021
Leicester Narborough Road - 8 July 2021
Leigh-on-Sea - 5 August 2021
Letchworth - 5 August 2021
Leytonstone - 12 August 2021
London Bridge - 15 July 2021
Long Eaton - 5 August 2021
Lytham Clifton Street - 22 July 2021
Margate - 22 July 2021
Marlow - 1 July 2021
Mill Hill - 15 July 2021
Moorgate - 1 July 2021
Morecambe - 5 August 2021
Nelson - 29 July 2021
New Malden - 22 July 2021
Newcastle-under-Lyme - 15 July 2021
Norbury - 1 July 2021
Oadby - 22 July 2021
Oxford Headington - 12 August 2021
Petts Wood - 5 August 2021
Pinner - 8 July 2021
Plymstock - 5 August 2021
Poulton-le-Fylde - 12 August 2021
Putney - 29 July 2021
Rickmansworth - 1 July 2021
Runcorn - 1 July 2021
Sale - 22 July 2021
Shepherds Bush - 22 July 2021
South Harrow - 22 July 2021
Southampton Bitterne Road - 5 August 2021
Southampton Shirley - 8 July 2021
Southgate - 22 July 2021
Strand - 24 June 2021
Surbiton - 29 July 2021
Swinton - 1 July 2021
Syston - 24 June 2021
Twickenham - 1 July 2021
Upper Edmonton - 29 July 2021
Walkden - 24 June 2021
Wallasey - 22 July 2021
Welling - 22 July 2021
Wembley Preston Road - 29 July 2021
West Wickham - 15 July 2021
West Worthing - 15 July 2021
Weybridge - 15 July 2021
Wibsey - 24 June 2021
Wickford - 8 July 2021
Windsor - 5 August 2021
Winton - 22 July 2021
Wokingham - 8 July 2021
