BANCKOIRNOGNIANVWIROUKSINLAGTHEASMT Santander to close

WOKINGHAM is set to lose Santander this summer, as it closes 111 branches across the UK.

The bank on Broad Street in the town centre will close its doors for the last time on Thursday, July 8.

The news comes as the Spanish-owned firm plans to axe branches up and down the country after a change in customer behaviour over the past year.

According to the bank, transactions fell by a third between 2018 and 2020, and fell by a further 50% following the coronavirus pandemic.

Adam Bishop, head of branches at Santander, said “branch usage” has plummeted.

“We have made the difficult decision to consolidate our presence in areas where we have multiple branches relatively close together,” he said.

“We will provide every support to customers of closing branches to find alternative ways to bank with us that best suit their individual needs.

“We continue to believe that branches have an important role to play and we expect the size of our network to remain stable for the foreseeable future.”

Santander will keep 452 branches, closing any which are less than three miles away from another branch.

Following the Wokingham branch’s closure, the nearest branch will be in Bracknell, or on the University of Reading’s Whiteknights campus. There is also a branch in Reading town centre. A spokesperson for the firm said account holders will also be able to bank at Post Offices, and has launched a dedicated phone number to help customers worried about the closures.

It is not yet clear how many jobs will be lost. For more information and support, contact Santander on 0800 085 0879.