NatWest is closing four of its bank branches in the UK this week as part of planned closures. The banking group, which has shut more than 1,500 branches since 2015, is continuing its strategy of reducing its physical footprint.
This Week's Closures
The closures include two branches in London, one in Edinburgh, and another in West Yorkshire. The branch at 17 High Street in Grays, Edinburgh, permanently closed on Tuesday, June 16, reportedly due to a drop in footfall. The NatWest at 216 Bishopsgate, London, will close its doors for the last time on Wednesday, while branches in Waterhouse Street, Halifax, and Fulham Broadway, London, are due to close on Thursday.
Background
Earlier this year, parent company NatWest Group announced it would shut 30 branches this year, adding another nine to the list in an announcement made on June 5. After all planned closures are completed, NatWest Group will have 336 branches across the country, comprising 249 NatWest branches in England and Wales, 62 Royal Bank of Scotland branches, and 25 Ulster Bank branches in Northern Ireland.
Industry Trends
NatWest is one of many banks exiting high streets across the UK, including Lloyds, Santander, and Halifax. Consumer magazine Which? reports that the banking group has closed more than 1,500 branches since the beginning of 2015.
Future Commitments
Despite the closures, NatWest Group pledged earlier this month that it will not make any further branch closure announcements across its NatWest, Royal Bank of Scotland, and Ulster Bank brands until at least 2029. The group said it will invest a further £50 million in its network over 2026/2027, focusing on modernising existing locations and improving customer experience. It also plans to increase the number of mobile branch stops, expanding flexible, face-to-face services in communities across the UK. NatWest said it would explore opportunities to open new branches where there is clear customer demand.
Other account providers have made similar commitments, including Nationwide Building Society, which has 605 branches and previously promised to keep all of them open until at least 2030.
Customer Trends
NatWest Group said that while 95% of its customers choose to bank digitally for their day-to-day needs, it recognises that in-person support remains an important part of how customers manage their finances. Solange Chamberlain, Chief Executive for Retail Banking at NatWest Group, said in a statement issued on June 5: "We will not announce any further branch closures until at least 2029 and are expanding more flexible and accessible ways to bank, with enhanced support to help customers act with confidence and achieve their financial goals."
