HSBC set to withdraw two branches from Derbyshire towns

TWO Derbyshire branches of HSBC will be among 82 scheduled for closure across the country over the next few months, the company has announced.

Sites will start shutting their doors permanently from April 23, starting with Edinburgh’s Princes Street branch, with approximately three closing each week until the end of September.

The Belper branch in King Street will close its doors on Friday, June 4 and the Swadlincote branch in High Street will have its last of opening on Friday, September 17.

HSBC said the Covid-19 pandemic had seen a greater shift to online banking although they insisted the closures were not entirely related to the lockdowns and restrictions introduced.

Staff in branches facing closure are also expected to be redeployed to other branches and sites within 15 miles of their homes, the bank said.

HSBC said the closures were part of plans to become a market-leading digital bank and an overhaul of how remaining branches will operate.

Of the 82 sites closing, 81 are within a mile of a Post Office, two thirds are within five miles of another HSBC branch and nine in 10 are within 10 miles, the bank added.

Bosses said the changes would

HSBC branches in Ripley, right, and Swadlincote are set to close see four distinct branch formats that “best suit customer needs, based on detailed analysis of customer behaviour”.

These include full service branches, cash service branches for customers who need greater access to cash, counter-less branches with self-services only and pop up branches.

Jackie Uhi, HSBC UK’s head of network, said: “The Covid-19 pandemic has emphasised the need for the changes that we are making.

“It hasn’t pushed us in a different direction, but reinforces the things that we were focusing on before and has crystallised our thinking.

“This is a strategic direction that we need to take to have a branch network fit for the future.

“Making sure we have a sustainable branch network is essential to us, and decisions to close branches are not taken lightly.

“By ensuring we have the most suitable branch format in each specific local market that we serve, we will ensure that we are in good shape to meet the challenges ahead.”

Several branches of HSBC have closed across Derbyshire over the past few years, but there are still branches in Chesterfield, Long Eaton, Ripley, Ilkeston and Derby.