A BANK on Andover's High Street has announced it is closing down.

Barclays has announced the closure of its Andover High Street branch.

The bank will close on Friday, May 17, citing modern ways of banking such as online or telephone as "having a big impact" on customers coming into the branch.

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A statement on the Barclays website reads: "Back when we opened this branch, visiting us in person was one of the only ways to do your banking. Now, as there are lots of ways to manage your money without even leaving your home, we’re seeing many customers choosing to bank using our app, and Online or Telephone Banking.

"This has had a big impact on the number of customers coming in to see us. When deciding whether to close this branch, we looked carefully at how it’s been used and how customers are banking in other ways. 93 per cent of people who use our branch have also banked using the app, online and by phone in 2022 114 customers use this branch regularly as the only way to do their banking 10% of this branch’s customers have used nearby branches in the last 12 months.

"We’ll be working with the local community to understand the impact of closing this branch. Once we’ve gathered feedback, we’ll publish the results in a booklet called ‘Branch closure feedback’, which you can get from your branch or online at home.

"We want to reassure you that we’re here to help. We’ll stay in your community and you’ll be able to talk to us in person. We’re finalising the details of where we’ll be based, and when, to support you with your banking, and we‘ll share the details locally once confirmed.

"We’ll be available to help you with things like day-to-day banking queries and helping you manage your money, though there won’t be access to cash at this site. We’ll also add the location and opening times on our website – just search ‘findbarclays’.

"In the meantime, we’ll be here in person until this branch closes, to answer any questions you have and help you with the move from using this branch to alternative ways to bank."

Iris Andersen, from Andover, described the news as "very sad for our town as well as the workers". 

She said the closure will force customers to use online banking, adding: "This is so very sad because the elderly don't understand it. We are in a complete new system now plus the fact the people have enough to contend with living without trying to pay for a computer and being on the internet."

 

 

 

 

 

Readers can find out more here: https://home.barclays/content/dam/home-barclays/documents/citizenship/Reports-Publications/Reason-for-closure/Reason-for-clossure-Andover.pdf