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Revealed:
8:12 AM April 26, 2022
Santander has introduced it’s slashing banking hours in any respect its shops together with weekends at Camden City, Golders Inexperienced and Kilburn.
The three branches are amongst 300 throughout the UK which can transfer from being open from 9.30am to 4pm on Saturdays to working a half day service, closing at 12.30pm.
The transfer is a part of a shake-up of adjustments to opening hours being launched by the financial institution from July 18 the place all Santander banks nationally opening at 9am will shut at 3pm on weekdays, as a substitute of 4.30pm.
The financial institution mentioned department workers will nonetheless be out there for pre-booked face-to-face appointments between 3pm and 5pm, if clients want assist that can’t be offered by way of various channels or earlier within the day.
Santander closed its branches in Crouch Finish and Swiss Cottage in 2019.
Final month HSBC introduced it would shut its branches in Hampstead and Golders Inexperienced whereas Barclays Financial institution is about to close its Muswell Hill department this summer time, simply months after Lloyds closed.
The federal government has mentioned it would legislate to guard the way forward for money.
Santander mentioned the variety of clients utilizing its branches fell by a 3rd (33%) over the 2 years earlier than the coronavirus pandemic, and an additional 50% in 2020 and 12% in 2021.
There will probably be no obligatory redundancies or a discount of worker working hours in consequence.
The financial institution plans to beef up its phone assist for patrons and mentioned department workers will probably be skilled to assist on the telephone alongside their present face-to-face roles.
Richard Owen, head of branches at Santander, mentioned: “These adjustments will allow us to keep up our present department community whereas offering important further capability to assist clients who need to discuss to us by telephone.
“We now have seen a unbroken discount in department utilization over a number of years, each earlier than and for the reason that peak of the pandemic, with many shoppers preferring to transact digitally or contact us by telephone.
“We need to be certain that we’ve the right combination of channels to assist our clients nonetheless they select to financial institution with us.”
Which? Cash editor Jenny Ross mentioned: “Santander deserves credit score for taking higher account of buyer wants than a few of its rivals which have slashed their department networks with out setting up affordable options.
“However this continues a regarding total development of banks chipping away at face-to-face companies and opening hours.”
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