
The Ramsgate branch of HSBC bank is among 82 that will be closed this year.
The high street branch will shut its door on September 10. The nearest branch will then be at Westwood Cross.
The closure follows “a detailed review” and will mean the HSBC branches will be reduced to 511. The closures will be phased throughout the year.
HSBC says of the branches selected for closure, 81 are within one mile of a Post Office, where customers can carry out day-to-day transactions, two-thirds are within five miles of another HSBC branch and nine in ten are within 10 miles.
The bank chain says there will be a new format for customers including full service branches, cash service outlets, digital service and pop ups of temporary, movable, local sites.
Work to reformat and refurbish branches has already started and is expected to be completed by the end of 2021. The new ‘pop up’ branches will be rolled out later this year.
Jackie Uhi, HSBC UK’s Head of Network said: “Over the last few months, we’ve been conducting a number of pilots to test out a range of potential future branch formats at different locations to make sure we are giving customers what they want where they want it. Our findings have led us to create four new and distinctive formats that we believe will be well-suited to serve the different local markets that we operate in, with a branch network that is fit for the future.
“We know there will always be a need for face-to-face customer support and the evolution of our branches very much takes that into account. In recent years we have introduced more digital options to make our customers’ lives easier – depositing cheques or putting a temporary block on a card, for example – and we know that customers are becoming more comfortable primarily using online and mobile banking to take control of their finances, turning to other channels for very particular interactions.
“Giving more and better options to enable customers to manage their finances, including self-service, has uncovered a latent demand. The direction of travel is really quite clear and this is borne out by the reduction in branch usage and increase in digital interaction that we are seeing first-hand.”
HSBC says stripping out any impact of the pandemic, the number of customers using branches has fallen by a third in the last five years. Nine in ten (90%) of all customer contact with us is over the phone, internet or smartphone, in addition to talking to over 100k customers a week on social media.
Jackie Uhi added: “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 crystalised our thinking. This is a strategic direction that we need to take to have a branch network fit for the future.”
More bad news for the Hong Kong Shanghai Banking Corporation (HSBC) and its customers. The bank with draconian rules and regulations and especially for those and their families whom have sought asylum in other countries having their accounts frozen in HK
I’m sure Thanet council are already planning to sell the plot to another developer….
And if so the building could be converted into some handsome flats. Does TDC own the building?
The closure has been on the cards for a while, in for a penny in for a pound boots is also going.
Nice corner plot for some one to develop, some one cashing in.
Let’s hope the next TDC Local Plan gets a sensible balance between developing local village/town economies, sustainability and developing houses otherwise 50,000 people will turn up as a result of the mad dash to build the new houses, only to find ghost towns with tumbleweed blowing down the high streets and a spanking new, unmanned station at Cliffsend to admire.
Just too bad if you have restricted mobility and unable to bank online ☹️
It’s a British company – the global HQ is in London at Canary Wharf – it’s that whacking big 42 storey building. The main shares are listed on the UK Stock Exchange. The CEO and chairman are British…
Now that would be a much better spot for Ramsgate Town Council.
In the heart of Ramsgate – on the beaten track.
How many years still left on the lease for the Customs House rental from Jack Baker I believe – is it until the end of the century?