Why is my local Nationwide branch now closed on Tuesdays and Thursdays?

I am a Nationwide customer and recently went to visit the branch on my local high street.

However, it was Thursday and there was a sign stating that it was closed on Tuesdays and Thursdays.

I know Nationwide has made a big deal about keeping branches open, but is this how they are doing it – by reducing opening hours?

Now, the big high street banks also close on odd days of the week, so I’m not singling out Nationwide in particular – it just seems a bit sneaky. Are there many other Nationwide branches that do this? And why?

Helen Kirrane from This is Money responds: Nationwide is not only a building society giant, but also a banking network giant.

It has the largest branch network of any high street brand, including the major banks, with its network of 605 branches, surpassing Lloyds, which has 598 branches.

It’s fair to say that at a time when bank branches have been disappearing at a dizzying rate, Nationwide hasn’t been doing too badly.

Britain’s high streets have been plagued by bank branch closures over the past five to ten years.

Since January 2019, 2,798 branches have closed permanently, figures from Which? show, with a further 24 closures planned by 2025.

Barclays has closed the largest number of branches, closing 829 since January 2019 and announcing the opening of 20 more by December 2025.

Next in line is Lloyds, which has closed 375 branches and plans to close 48 more in the same time period.

Next is TSB, which has closed 339 branches and plans to close 36 more by December 2025, according to Which?

Nationwide is one of the banks that has been most vocal about keeping its branches open. By comparison, it has closed 72 branches since January 2019.

We are more accustomed to seeing “we’re not going anywhere” signs from Nationwide than “we’re closed on Tuesdays and Thursdays” signs in the windows of their branches.

This is because the building society has a branch promise in place, meaning that wherever there is a Nationwide branch, it will remain open until at least 2028.

Nationwide renewed the branch promise for the fourth time in March of this year.

You asked whether other Nationwide branches were also closed two days a week and why, so This is Money did some digging.

Of Nationwide’s 605-strong branch network, 458 are open five days a week – more than three-quarters – while 342 branches remain open on Saturdays.

Your local branch is one of 142 branches that are closed a maximum of two days a week, meaning 23 percent of Nationwide branches are closed a maximum of two days a week.

As for why, Nationwide said these 142 branches will close to allow branch staff to support those customers who use telephone or online banking while still maintaining a presence on the high street.

James Blower, founder of Savings Guru, answers: I think we are all aware of the decline in branches on our high street. When I started my career in banking, Barclays, which I worked for, had over 40 branches in Norfolk. Now they have just three.

As you mention, not only have we seen branches closed, but we have also seen a reduction in working hours with branches closed for random days, lunch breaks and training hours making it even more difficult to get to an open branch.

While Nationwide is also guilty of this, to be fair to them I think they are better than their traditional rivals – they have 10 branches open in Norfolk, where I live, a number unmatched by any of their traditional rivals.

Nationwide has closed fewer branches than any other rival over the past five years. While its track record is unfortunate, Nationwide is arguably the best of the bunch right now.

Andrew Hagger, founder of MoneyComms, responds: Nationwide’s current pledge on branch closures states that “wherever we have a branch, we will remain there until at least early 2028.”

What it has not committed to is maintaining current opening hours for the next three and a half years, so if a Nationwide branch decides to close during certain times of the week, it is not breaking its promise.

You might call it a stealth move, but in reality other traditional banks are closing branches left and right, citing lack of traffic and increased internet adoption, so Nationwide is probably seeing similar trends and in more extreme cases has decided to take action.

A Nationwide spokesperson responded: Nationwide continues to value branches and in-person service. Wherever we have a branch today, we will continue to have one until at least early 2028.

More than three-quarters (76 percent – 458) of our network of 605 branches are open five days a week, with 342 opening on Saturdays. A further 142 branches close for a maximum of two days to allow branch colleagues to serve customers by phone or online.

This means we can operate in the most effective and efficient manner whilst maintaining a presence on the main streets.

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