- Open the same hours as M&S stores
- New customer pager service puts an end to queuing in branches
M&S Bank opens its first branch today (Thursday 19th July) at M&S’s flagship Marble Arch store. Fifty M&S Bank branches will open by the end of 2013, with 16 opening by the end of the summer.
| Handforth, Cheshire | Bromley | Glasgow Argyle Street |
| Meadowhall, Sheffield | Pudsey, Leeds | Aberdeen |
| The Gyle, Edinburgh | Manchester | Culverhouse Cross, Cardiff |
| Cribbs Causeway, Bristol | Birmingham | Gemini, Warrington |
| Metro, Gateshead | Hedge End, Southampton | Bluewater, Kent |
Like all M&S Bank branches, the Marble Arch branch will be open the same hours as the store; 8am until 9pm Monday to Saturday and from12-6pm on Sundays.
Colin Kersley, Chief Executive of M&S Bank, said: “Our branches have been designed around the needs of our customers, offering them the style of banking they want; available at times that suit their busy lifestyles. I am delighted to open the first of those branches and look forward to welcoming our customers here today.”
Louise Evans, the first M&S Bank Manager, based at Marble Arch, commented: “My team and I will always be on hand to give our customers the warm welcome and great service they expect from M&S; whether customers want to discuss their finances or simply get up and running on online banking.”
Customer services and facilities
The branch will offer customers a brand new pager service – meaning they will not have to queue and wait for an advisor to become available. If a customer wants an appointment, they'll be given a pager and alerted as soon as an advisor is free, so they can continue to shop or visit the M&S Café. Pagers will also be available to accompanying friends or family so they can carry on shopping, whilst their companion completes their appointment.
The branch has been designed to offer customers a convenient and secure banking environment, supported by a dedicated M&S Bank team and Bank Manager.
Customer appointments will take place in one of three private meeting rooms with facilities to enable customers to manage large cash transactions securely. A dedicated member of the team will also manage an assisted self-service area, including a cash machine, paying-in machine and a cheque deposit machine.
To ensure peace of mind, customers paying in cheques will receive a photocopy of their cheque as well as a receipt. An etched screen surrounds each machine, with a helpful shelf for mobile phones and a handbag hook is located at the side – offering customers privacy and convenience.
The new branches will include free internet and telephone banking facilities. Customer research revealed that many M&S Money customers would like to use internet banking services but are not sure how it works, so a member of the M&S Bank team will be on hand to give customers one-to-one assistance.
The M&S Bank lounge
The M&S Bank lounge has a relaxed, modern feel – with unique M&S features. These include chic M&S Larson chairs in a custom M&S Bank fuchsia colour and fresh M&S flowers in Conran designed vases. Members of the M&S Bank team will also have stylish uniforms, featuring the signature fuchsia colour.
The existing M&S Bureau de Change has been re-designed to integrate seamlessly with the bank. Customers will be able to enjoy the same service they've always experienced in the M&S Bureau with some additional extras, including an LCD screen which will show M&S Bank TV for customers to watch while in the bureau.
Current account customers can also bank online and over the phone with 24x7 UK call centres. The M&S Premium Current Accounts are now available for customer registration at www.marksandspencer.com/bank or on 0800 756 7777.
Ends
For More Information Contact:
M&S Money Press Office: 01244 686177
M&S Corporate Press Office: 0208 7188132
HSBC Press Office: 020 7992 2748
Notes To Editors:
The M&S Money brand, along with its existing product portfolio, will be re-branded to M&S Bank later this year. For more information visit http://money.marksandspencer.com
M&S Money (the trading name of Marks & Spencer Financial Services plc) was founded in 1985 as the financial services division of Marks and Spencer plc. In November 2004, HSBC bought 100 per cent of the share capital of Marks & Spencer Retail Financial Services Holdings.
Today, M&S Money operates as a joint venture arrangement between HSBC and Marks & Spencer, however, M&S Money retains its own board.
HSBC Bank Plc
HSBC serves 16.1 million customers in the UK and employs approximately 50,000 people. In the UK, HSBC offers a complete range of personal, premier and private banking services including bank accounts and mortgages. It also provides commercial banking for small to medium businesses and corporate and institutional banking services. HSBC Bank plc is a wholly owned subsidiary of HSBC Holdings plc.
HSBC Holdings plc
HSBC Holdings plc, the parent company of the HSBC Group, is headquartered in London. The Group serves customers worldwide from around 7,200 offices in over 80 countries and territories in Europe, the Asia-Pacific region, North and Latin America, and the Middle East and North Africa. With assets of US$2,637bn at 31 March 2012, the HSBC Group is one of the worlds largest banking and financial services organisations.
2012 Corporate