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23/01/2019
Santander Close 3 NI Branches Amid 140 UK Closures
Santander is set to close three of its Northern Ireland branches, amid a UK-wide reshuffle which will see 140 closures in total.
Approximately 1,200 jobs will be put at risk as a result of the changes which the bank says are a response to how consumers carry out their banking.
The number of transactions carried out in-house has fallen by 23% over the past three years, while online banking use has grown by 99% over the same period.
Santander is consulting unions and will seek to find new roles for the colleagues affected and hopes to redeploy around a third to other areas of the company.
Branches on the Newtownards Road in east Belfast, Antrim High Street and Church Street Ballymoney will shut their doors in May and June of this year.
The company will retain a nationwide network of 614 stores following the changes, 100 of which will be refurbished over the next two years in a £55 million investment.
Susan Allen, Head of Retail and Business Banking said: "The way our customers are choosing to bank with us has changed dramatically in recent years, with more and more customers using online and mobile channels. As a result, we have had to take some very difficult decisions over our less visited branches, and those where we have other branches in close proximity.
"We will support customers of closing branches to find alternative ways to bank with us that best suit their individual needs. We are also working alongside our unions to support colleagues through these changes and to find alternative roles for those impacted wherever possible.
"We continue to believe that branches have a vital role to play and we will be refurbishing 100 of our branches over the next two years. We are confident that following these changes we will have the right branch network to serve our customers' changing needs, and we expect the size of our network to remain stable for the foreseeable future."
The company will be made up of a combination of larger branches that offer improved community facilities to support local businesses and customers, and smaller branches using the latest technology to offer customers more convenient access to banking services.
(JG/CM)
Approximately 1,200 jobs will be put at risk as a result of the changes which the bank says are a response to how consumers carry out their banking.
The number of transactions carried out in-house has fallen by 23% over the past three years, while online banking use has grown by 99% over the same period.
Santander is consulting unions and will seek to find new roles for the colleagues affected and hopes to redeploy around a third to other areas of the company.
Branches on the Newtownards Road in east Belfast, Antrim High Street and Church Street Ballymoney will shut their doors in May and June of this year.
The company will retain a nationwide network of 614 stores following the changes, 100 of which will be refurbished over the next two years in a £55 million investment.
Susan Allen, Head of Retail and Business Banking said: "The way our customers are choosing to bank with us has changed dramatically in recent years, with more and more customers using online and mobile channels. As a result, we have had to take some very difficult decisions over our less visited branches, and those where we have other branches in close proximity.
"We will support customers of closing branches to find alternative ways to bank with us that best suit their individual needs. We are also working alongside our unions to support colleagues through these changes and to find alternative roles for those impacted wherever possible.
"We continue to believe that branches have a vital role to play and we will be refurbishing 100 of our branches over the next two years. We are confident that following these changes we will have the right branch network to serve our customers' changing needs, and we expect the size of our network to remain stable for the foreseeable future."
The company will be made up of a combination of larger branches that offer improved community facilities to support local businesses and customers, and smaller branches using the latest technology to offer customers more convenient access to banking services.
(JG/CM)
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Northern Ireland WeatherToday:The day will be very windy with strong to gale force westerly winds becoming occasionally severe along the north coast. Sunny spells will be interspersed with scattered showers. Maximum temperature 8 °C.Tonight:West to northwest gale force winds, severe along the north coast, will continue overnight. Frequent showers persist, merging into longer periods of rain at times and turning wintry. Minimum temperature 1 °C.
