HSBC has confirmed that two branches are due to close next year but added that no jobs are at risk.
The closure of the bank’s Halkett Street and Five Oaks branches coincide with the re-opening of its ‘flagship’ King Street branch, which is currently undergoing a seven-month refurbishment programme and expected to open by January.
Halkett Street is due to close in January, with Five Oaks following in August next year.
HSBC said there was an increasing preference for online banking and fewer in-branch transactions, but the bank said there were ‘no jobs are being put at risk as part of this change programme’.
HSBC Channel Islands and Isle of Man interim head of wealth and personal banking Cameron Senior said: ‘The way people bank is changing – something the pandemic has accelerated.’
He added: ‘We know from our review that the majority of customers have a preference to do much of their day-to-day banking digitally, and while we’ve seen a significant reduction in the number of customers using our Halkett Street and Five Oaks branches, we’ve developed a model that provides Islanders with both the opportunity for face-to-face servicing as well as online banking products and services.’
The head of the HSBC branch network for the Channel Islands and Isle of Man, Alistair Philip, said: ‘The bank is making significant investment in its flagship King Street branch and a further refurbishment programme is being reviewed for the St Brelade branch towards the end of next year.’
