Barclays bank branch closed in St Helens !

The building on Church Street will be closed with the bank citing a “significant change” in customer behaviour.

In total, the bank says, the St Helens branch is used exclusively by 39 regular customers “who do not interact with (Barclays) in other ways”.

However, Barclays says the role of the physical branch is “evolving, with less than 10 percent of transactions now taking place within a branch.”

Barclays adds that it will open Barclays Local – a pop-up cashless banking site where customers can meet a colleague face-to-face for banking support, as they would in a branch and “without having to travel”.

The bank added that it does not intend to lay off anyone as a direct result of this closure, which will take place on Thursday, May 4.

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After the closure of the St Helens location, the nearest Barclays branches will be located in the neighboring cities of Wigan and Warrington.

Barclays added that it would be “proactively engaging with local businesses and the wider community to discuss alternative ways in which customers can do their banking locally.”

The bank will offer “virtual” tea and education sessions for “customers wishing to explore digital banking and other alternatives to branch-based banking”.

A Barclays spokesperson said: “Our customers’ behavior has changed dramatically in recent years, with the majority now choosing online banking.

“This is reflected in our St Helens branch and as we adapt, we are finding new ways to support our customers by maintaining our community presence with options for customers who still need personal support.”

They added: “In St Helens, we plan to open Barclays Local – a pop-up cashless banking site where customers can meet a colleague face-to-face for banking support, as they would in a branch and without having to travel.

“We are currently working with the local community to identify a suitable site and will announce details as soon as they are confirmed.”