NatWest to shut one of its last two Stoke-on-Trent branches

-Credit:Reach Publishing Services Limited
-Credit:Reach Publishing Services Limited


Financial giant NatWest is shutting one of its two Stoke-on-Trent branches. The Longton branch - on Market Street - is shutting for good on June 5.

It will leave Hanley as the only NatWest branch still standing in Stoke-on-Trent. The Leek branch is also shutting as part of today's cull.

Affected Longton customers will have to use branches in Hanley, Newcastle-under-Lyme and Congleton following the June 5 closure. NatWest says the number of customers using the branch has halved in the last six years.

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The Leek branch - on Derby Street - is due to close on June 16. The number of regular customers has fallen by 48 per cent in the past six years.

NatWest branches in Stafford, Cannock, Uttoxeter, Nantwich, and Market Drayton are also closing as part of the cull.

A NatWest spokesperson said: “Our customers are using digital banking more than ever before – over 80 per cent of our active current account holders now use our digital services and over 97 per cent of retail accounts with us are now opened online. Like any business, we strive to meet our customers’ changing needs and expectations and we’ve been responding to the industry-wide shift towards digital services by investing to broaden what customers can do themselves and to offer them greater personalisation.

“We are also significantly investing in refreshing our network – we expect to invest in excess of £20 million in our network across the UK in 2025 to improve customer service, enhance the look and feel of our branches, and reduce the environmental impact of our buildings, as well as continuing to invest in shared solutions like the Post Office and banking hubs.”

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