Westpac announces Drouin branch closure

Westpac Bank will close its Drouin branch next month.

The decision to shut the doors on Friday, November 24, has been confirmed to The Gazette by Westpac regional general manager Emily Sofkovska.

A new branch at Drouin in a purpose built two-storey building fronting both Hope St and Commercial Place opened in March 2010.

Customers were being advised from late last week of the closure and Westpac employees at Drouin will be “offered roles” with the bank.

The ATM currently located at the premises will remain.

Westpac previously had a branch at Drouin before closing it and establishing a subagency associated with a local solicitor’s office before returning to branch status just over seven-and-a-half years ago.

A month before the 2010 branch opening then Westpac chief executive officer Gail Kelly visited Drouin to inspect progress on the new building and conceded the bank “got it wrong when it closed or downgraded many of its branches”.

The return to full service banking was going “back to the future” and bringing the bank back to the community, she said.

But Westpac says things are now much different.

Ms Sofkovska said technology had changed the way people bank with only two per cent of Westpac customers’ transactions placed through the branch network.

The number of over-thecounter transactions and foot traffic at branches continues to decline as customers look for simpler and more convenient ways to bank via digital channels such as mobile banking, internet banking and “smart” ATMs.

Ms ofkovska said Westpac’s Warragul branch located only eight kilometres from Drouin would be able to assist all business, retail and agricultural customers access services.

The probable closure of Drouin was initially revealed late last month by the Finance Sector Union in a posting on its website.

It stated Drouin was one of eight branches earmarked to be closed across Australia, three of them in Victoria.