A TOWN centre bank is being closed for eight weeks for renovation works.

HSBC Bank, in High Street, Colchester, is being closed from Monday, March 22 and will reopen on May 24.

The refurbishment will completely reformat the branch interior including full decoration and new furniture.

When the works are complete the branch will include two upgraded counters, a suite of self-service machines, a digital education zone, and an area set aside for customer seminars.

Paul Houlding, HSBC UK’s local director for Colchester and Ipswich, said: “We are continuing to invest millions of pounds into our branch network to create a better banking experience for our customers.

"The changes we are making to our Colchester branch will mean customers have a much more modern branch, with increased space in the banking hall, plus a digital education zone and an area for customer seminars where we can inform groups of customers on important issues, like helping to keep them safe from fraudsters, or maybe first time buyers looking for their first home.

“While we are investing in our branch network and in Colchester, the direction of travel for customer behaviour is quite clear - customers are becoming more comfortable primarily using online and mobile banking to take control of their finances, turning to other channels for very particular interactions."

While the refurbishment is being carried out, customers are able to use the North Station Road branch for their day-to-day banking.

Mr Holding added: “As previously announced, the North Station Road branch will be permanently closing on June 4, with all accounts being transferred to the High Street branch."

The Colchester High Street branch will re-open in time for when the North Station Road branch permanently closes.

Stripping out any impact of the pandemic, the number of customers using branches has fallen by a third in the last five years. Nine in ten of all customer contact with HSBC is over the phone or internet.