Building society to shut down branch
SKIPTON Building Society is to close its Rochdale branch in September due to falling numbers of customers.
Bosses at society say the town centre branch has seen a significant decline in the number of people using it, as more customers turn to internet and telephone banking.
It will close for the final time on September 21.
The six members of staff at the Union Street branch have been informed of the closure and bosses say they are ‘working with them to find any suitable alternative roles at neighbouring branches’.
Andrew Bottomley, Skipton’s director of distribution and financial advice, said: “It is with regret we have had to make the decision to close this branch in September. We’ve been so proud to serve our customers in person in Rochdale and have held off for as long as we can before having to close the branch -which will be the first time Skipton has closed a branch in several years.
“But less people are using the branch in spite of the best efforts of our team there. This branch has seen a significant reduction in the number of people visiting it over the past two years. In comparison, over the same period, our online customer base has increased by 65 per cent and activity in our customer contact centre has increased by over 10,000 enquiries.
“The Society remains committed to offering face-to-face customer service, and our branch network will continue to play a vital role in this.
“But we cannot use our members’ money to keep a branch open that is economically unsustainable due to insufficient community use. Instead we will reinvest the money we save from closing the branch and plough it back into our customer contact points.
“Our focus now is to do everything we can to support our team members affected by this news; and our customers who we have personally written to and explained what’s happening and how we will continue to meet their financial needs.”
The society’s nearest branches are in Bury and Oldham.