Santander has shut its branch at Hempstead Valley in Gillingham as part of nationwide closures this year. The bank closed its doors for the final time on Thursday, 24 June. Its departure has been described by local residents as the 'end of an era' since the bank had been at the shopping centre for 41 years, having first opened in 1980 as Abbey National. The announcement of its closure in March was part of a decision by Santander to shut 111 of its branches across the country this year, affecting about 840 staff. In a statement, the bank says it took the "difficult decision" to close the branch because fewer customers were choosing to bank in-branch, due to a shift to mobile and online banking which has further accelerated during the pandemic.
Adam Bishop, head of branches at Santander, said: "Our customers are continuing to change the way they manage their money. As well as using our branches, many more of our customers find it convenient to do their day-to-day banking using Online, Mobile or Telephone Banking. "Due to these changes, we have carefully and thoroughly reviewed the way we develop our services for customers and considered many factors, including where each of our branches are located and how they are used," he added. It is not known how many jobs have been lost at the Hempstead Valley branch. The only remaining Santander in Medway is now the branch in Chatham High Street.
Robin Smith
29/6/2021 17:04:45
I am totally upset by the fact that the bank do not have the courtesy of notifyiny their customers of their intenrions . The bank at Hempstead is one of the few banks that catered for my needs, especially now that my mobility is worsened by a latest illness.. Comments are closed.
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