Santander is permanently closing 13 branches in the UK next week, with dozens more to follow in May. At the start of the year, the high street bank said it was pulling down the shutters on 44 of its locations nationally, with four closing in January.
It confirmed at the time that a further 40 branches would be serving customers for the last time by the end of May. The Spanish bank said the move comes as change was as a result of customers increasingly opting for online services, in line with a trend seen across the major the lenders. Santander said that 96% of customer transactions were now carried out via digital platforms.
Santander reportedly said 291 jobs were at risk due to the latest closures. The latest round of shutterings come less than a year after the bank announced in March 2025 that it was closing 95 branches, affecting 750 employees.
In July last year the bank’s then UK CEO Mike Regnier, said that around 2,000 jobs had been lost in the preceding year as part of the bank’s restructuring. Mr Regnier had said then that further job losses “might well be” likely, as reported by The Mirror.
Santander has pledged that any branches impacted will be succeeded by “community bankers” through Santander Local stores or shared banking hubs.
It means customers in affected areas will continue to be able to access in person services, the bank said.
The latest set of closures start on April 28, 2026 with dozens more closing over the first three weeks of May.
