Marks and Spencer to close 29 in-store banks today - full list
MARKS AND SPENCER is to close its 29 bank branches today, with all its current accounts permanently shutting down next month.
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Marks and Spencer has 29 banks, all located in stores across the country. All banks are closing for good today with the retailer aiming to focus instead on its credit cards, insurance, savings, and loan products.
A surge in online banking since the start of the pandemic has led to several bank closures over the past year.
Marks and Spencer is the latest company to close its banks.
The retailer’s bank, M&S Bank, has 29 branches and over three million customers.
However, Marks and Spencer’s travel money bureaux branches will not be affected by the changes to M&S Bank.
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These are located in 100 M&S stores.
The retailer confirmed the bank closures in an update on March 4.
At the time, Paul Spencer, M&S Bank’s Chief Executive, said: “We have developed the next phase of our transformation programme to enhance the M&S shopping experience.
“It does regrettably mean we will move away from branch-based servicing and the 29-in-store bank branches and associated current account will close this summer.
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“We’re now firmly focused on supporting both our customers and colleagues through this change, and the delivery of our transformation plans, which will create new and rewarding payment solutions for M&S shoppers, both in-store and online,” Mr Spencer added.
The closures will undoubtedly affect both M&S staff and customers.
The retailer has previously said it would redeploy branch workers where possible, but it has not confirmed since how many redundancies will take place.
As for customers, the bank will shut their existing current accounts on August 31.
M&S confirmed all customers will need to have switched bank accounts by this date.
If not, they will need to contact M&S Bank as soon as possible to discuss their next steps.
Shoppers can use the Current Account Switch Service (CASS) to change bank accounts.
To close their account on the M&S website, customers must have a balance of zero.
If there are still funds in place in the bank account by August, they will remain frozen, and customers will need to contact M&S to transfer the money elsewhere.
Following the bank closures, Marks and Spencer’s banking services will now move to online, mobile, and telephone channels only.
M&S Bank’s credit cards, general insurance, savings, and loan products will remain the same.
Therefore, customers who have one or more of these products will be unaffected by the changes.
M&S Bank is not the only bank to shut its doors for good in 2021.
Lloyds Banking Group confirmed last month that it will shut another 44 branches in November, meaning it will have closed a total of 100 banks by the end of the year.
Full list of M&S Bank closures
Aberdeen - St Nicholas Street
Birmingham - High Street
Bristol - Cribbs Causeway
Bromley - High Street
Cardiff - Culverhouse Cross
Dartford - Bluewater
Edinburgh - The Gyle
Ellesmere Port - Cheshire Oaks
Exeter - High Street
Gateshead - Metro
Glasgow - Argyle Street
Glasgow - Braehead
Leeds - Briggate
Lisburn - Sprucefield
London W12 - Westfield White City
London - Marble Arch
Manchester - Market Street
Milton Keynes - Saxon Gate East
Norwich - Rampant Horse Street
Oxford - Queen Street
Pudsey - Stanningley
Sandhurst - Camberley
Sheffield - Meadowhall
Shoreham - Holmbush Centre
Southampton - Hedge End
St Albans - London Colney
Tipton - Merryhill
Warrington - Gemini
Wilmslow - Handforth