Major British bank with 14million customers is axing TEN branches this week – is one going near you?

The Sun

23-06-2025

A MAJOR British bank is set to axe a further ten branches this week.
It comes after the provider closed ten branches last week as part of a nationwide reduction in services.
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Santander is one of just several major banks to be shutting shops country-wide in a decision that affects 14 million customers.
The bank said that the closures were impacted by changing consumer habits, as more shoppers move online.
A further ten branches are set to close this week, with a total of 23 closing throughout June.
Santander closures this week
The stores set to close this week are:
Aberdare - June 24
Blackwood - June 23
Brecon - June 25
Cleveleys - June 23
Dungannon - June 23
Eltham - June 23
Glasgow LDHQ - June 24
Glasgow MX - June 23
Greenford - June 24
Magherafelt - June 24
A spokesperson for Santander said: "As customer behaviour changes, we are ensuring that our branches remain fit for the future.
"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.
"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."
With high streets on the decline, bank branches have been shutting at an alarming rate, with some campaigners concerned about the impact on vulnerable customers.
Caroline Abrahams, charity director at Age UK, said: 'Physical spaces – whether a bank or building society branch, Banking Hub, or alternative suitable provision – must continue to exist so people can still carry out face-to-face tasks.
"The disappearance of face-to-face banking risks cutting a significant minority of the older population out of an essential service, making it difficult if not impossible for them to manage their money and maintain their independence.'
The ten closures are part of a wider reduction in Santander's in-person services.
This includes the closure of 95 branches, and the conversion of 18 to "counter-free" service desks.
Instead, customers can visit 73 new banking hubs set up across the UK to serve customers from all major banks.
Just 349 branches will remain following the shake-up.
It comes as several major banking providers have significantly reduced their in-person services.
Consumer magazine Which? revealed that 6,300 bank and building societies have closed since January 2015 - an average of 53 per month.
A total of 102 banks are set to close this month alone affecting major providers like Lloyds, Natwest and Halifax.
Meanwhile, Nationwide has promised to keep its nearly 700 branches open until the start of 2028.
Muir Mathieson, Nationwide's chief financial officer, recently said: 'The branches are thriving.
'We're seeing the number of people going into branches going up, and we think part of that increase is that there are fewer branches on the high street now that our competitors have closed theirs.'
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