Local Businesses Affected by Bank Closure in Staffordshire Town

Business owners in a Staffordshire locality have expressed concerns that the permanent closure of the area’s sole remaining bank is “killing” the local high street. Barclays in Kidsgrove ceased operations in August 2023, citing that fewer than 10% of customer transactions were conducted within its physical premises. Since the closure, one local entrepreneur reports a nearly 50% decrease in business, attributing this decline in customer traffic to the lack of local banking facilities. Concurrently, another proprietor has opted to permanently shut down her establishment. With the Christmas trading period commencing, the businesses still operating are anticipating a boost in seasonal revenue. Kelly Bochenski, who relocated her hair salon after six years of trading in the town, stated: “It wasn’t viable to continue to run the business. A lot of my mature clients, elderly clients, did have comments on the bank shutting and footfall has reduced somewhat.” Baz Johnson, who acquired his shop nine years prior, commented that the bank’s closure has had a significant effect. He remarked: “You used to get people from Macclesfield, Alsager, Congleton, everybody using the bank – and now nobody comes because they used to go to the bank, [then] come in here for cards, so it’s just killed it.” Barclays reported that the branch served only 67 consistent customers and has since established a community banking hub within the local sports centre. Steven King, a butcher whose shop is adjacent to the former bank, disputed these customer figures, noting that he frequently observed extensive queues at the branch. He stated: “It was so busy, every single day from Monday to Friday. There were queues after queues.” He further commented: “All the pensioners used to use it and I feel so sorry for those because they rely on it. Now it’s just left us all in the lurch and really made us suffer.” A Barclays spokesperson indicated that customer habits have evolved considerably in recent years, with most opting for online banking services. They remarked: “This was reflected at our Kidsgrove branch,” and elaborated: “We now operate a Barclays Local at the sports centre – a pop-up cashless banking site where customers can meet a colleague face-to-face for banking support, as they would in a branch and without the need to travel.” In the interim, local businesses are encouraging residents to patronize local shops to aid the survival of their high street. For further updates, follow BBC Stoke & Staffordshire on BBC Sounds, Facebook, X and Instagram. Copyright 2024 BBC. All rights reserved. The BBC bears no responsibility for the content found on external websites. Information regarding our policy on external linking is available.