Shrewsbury's Co-op Bank branch to close
Shropshire is to lose its only branch of the Co-operative bank when it closes its doors in Shrewsbury later this summer.
The bank announced it would be closing 10 branches around the UK earlier this year and today it confirmed Shrewsbury will be one of these.
The bank, which has been a fixture on the High Street for decades, will shut for good on June 26.
The closures follow the publication of the bank's annual results.
Customers affected will be written to and counter services will instead be offered at Post Office branches.
Heather Lauder, director of retail and business banking at The Co-operative Bank, said: "These changes reflect the changing way that our customers choose to bank, as they increasingly undertake more of their transactions online or via contactless payments. The fall in the number of transactions made in the branches means it is simply no longer sustainable to keep them open.
"Our branch network remains an integral part of our overall customer service offer. We are redesigning and modernising our branches as consumers look to use the branch for more complex face to face advice at critical moments. We are also investing in our digital offering to provide customers with new, innovative ways to service their accounts and last year we launched a new mobile banking platform and introduced Apple Pay.
"We're committed to maintaining the high levels of service that our personal and business customers have come to expect from us and we have sought to minimise the impact of these closures. We are writing to those affected to provide information about the alternative options available to them. Alongside online and mobile banking facilities, all closing branches are within three miles of a Post Office branch where customers can undertake most day to day transactions, and in many cases much closer.
"The branches affected will close during June 2017. The bank's network will then comprise of 95 branches in total."
