NatWest branch in Slough High Street closes amid rise in online banking

A NatWest branch in Slough has closed its doors after seeing a fall in the number of over the counter transactions. 

The branch at 118 High Street closed on Thursday, September 12.

A spokesperson for the national banking chain explained customers are using ‘digital banking more than ever before’, with more than 80 per cent of active current account holders using digital services.

Comparing January 2019 and January this year, counter transactions for personal customers decreased by 60 per cent at the branch.

A total of seven customers with personal accounts used the branch weekly last year.

The next nearest branch for Slough customers is in Buckingham Avenue in the Trading Estate.

A NatWest spokesperson said: “Our customers are using digital banking more than ever before – over 80% of our active current account holders now use our digital services and over 97% of retail accounts with us are now opened online.

“Our customers appreciate the speed and convenience of digital banking for everyday transactions, and often, when it comes to making bigger, more complex decisions they value speaking to our skilled and experienced colleagues.

“Like any business, we strive to meet our customers’ changing needs and expectations and we’ve been responding to the industry wide shift towards digital services by investing to broaden what customers can do themselves and to offer them greater personalisation.

“While we are increasingly engaging our customers digitally, our branch network remains important to us.

“We are also significantly investing in refreshing our network – we are investing c£35m in our network across the UK, from 2023-24, as well as continuing to invest in shared solutions like the Post Office and banking hubs.”