Barclays Jarrow branch to close later this year as bosses blame move to online banking
Barclays has announced that its Jarrow branch will close its doors for good in June 2020.
The bank, on Grange Road in Jarrow town centre, is one of a number of branches closing across the UK as bosses blame a shift to online banking.
The store will close on Friday, June 19, after seeing a fall in customer numbers over the last two years.
The nearest branches for Barclays customers will now be more than three miles away in Northumberland Square, North Shields, High Street, Wallsend and King Street, South Shields.
And the news comes just weeks after Virgin Money confirmed its branch on Prince Edward Road would close on Monday, August 24, 2020.
Posters informing people of the closure have been displayed in the branch and all customers are expected to receive a letter in the post including a document detailing the reasons behind the decision.
Barclays has identified that more than 80% of customers are now using telephone and online banking, with only 225 residents exclusively using the Jarrow branch on a regular basis.
The company says it does not take the decision to close branches lightly and will support residents to find alternative ways to do their banking.
Sessions in digital banking will also be held at the Jarrow branch.
A Barclays spokesperson said: “The way customers undertake their banking is changing as people increasingly use online, telephone and mobile devices. At Barclays Jarrow branch, customer usage has continued to fall by 13 percent and 83 percent of our customers now use telephone and online banking, which is why we have taken the difficult decision to close it.
“We hope that the availability of our nearby Barclays branch at 3, Northumberland Square, North Shields, along with our range of digital channels, will help to ease the transition for our customers.”
Staff will be supporting customers with any concerns and have stressed that every day transactions can be carried out at the Post Office.