About a third of branches at UK banks have closed in recent years as digital banking takes hold and contactless payments begin to become the norm; FT Money takes a look at some UK banks and how they are evolving the branch experience; Halifax has started to add areas for children’s savings and offers members access to free events within the branch; Virgin Money has even removed the term bank branch and instead has come to calling them Virgin Money stores; they have added coffee shops, music and plan to host concerts and listening shows for emerging musical acts; Handelsbanken is taking the opposite approach and bringing relationship managers to customers without the extras of coffee or public spaces; the banking experience is rapidly evolving all over the world and banks have started to realize the bank branch is not what it used to be as they begin testing new approaches to ensure they keep customers happy. Financial Times
