Santander to close 58 UK branches in 2026 – full list | Personal Finance | Finance
Santander is set to shut 58 of its high street branches in 2026.
The shuttered branches will be substituted with a weekly Santander Local service that operates from venues such as libraries or community centres, or through Banking Hub facilities offered by the Post Office, according to the firm.
The bank added in a statement: “Approximately 291 colleagues would be placed at risk of redundancy if the proposals proceed after consultation with the unions has been completed; however, there will be a number of redeployment opportunities that impacted colleagues can apply for.”
After these alterations, Santander’s branch network will comprise 305 locations, including 244 full-service outlets, 19 counter-free sites, 36 reduced-hour premises, and six Work Cafés, plus 111 Santander Local.
The lender has witnessed a dramatic surge in customers opting for online banking, with 96% of all dealings now conducted electronically.
The company recorded a 64% jump in digital dealings since 2019, whilst financial transactions processed in physical branches dropped by 66% over the same timeframe. Branch-based financial transactions have fallen by 13% in just the past year, Santander revealed.
A spokesperson for Santander UK said: “In response to a continuing and sizeable shift towards customers using digital banking, we are making changes to our branches to better support our customers.
“We will continue to invest in both our branch network – comprising of full-service branches, counter-free branches, reduced-hour branches, Santander Locals, and our increasingly popular Work Cafés – as well as our digital banking services, so we can be there to support our customers however they choose to bank with us.”
Santander confirmed it would reach out to all potentially vulnerable customers by telephone to assist them in locating alternative branches or accessing digital, telephone and Post Office banking facilities.
