Metropol

WillPS wrote: Sun 05 Jan, 2025 22.14

• Branch refurbishments tend to hollow out the floor, remove old-fashioned lines of cashier windows and siderooms and replace them with a huge hollow space with some desks and machines. I can imagine the latter is easier to find an alternative tenant for

unless it was outright owned by the bank, surely that's the landlord's problem?

When a tenant moves out they will, subject to the terms of the lease, have to return the building to the condition it was in when they moved in or negotiate a settlement figure for the dilapidations. Most businesses will provide for these over the years of the lease but I think it's only allowable for tax when it's released (they incur the cost).

Pete wrote: Mon 06 Jan, 2025 09.37

WillPS wrote: Sun 05 Jan, 2025 22.14

• Branch refurbishments tend to hollow out the floor, remove old-fashioned lines of cashier windows and siderooms and replace them with a huge hollow space with some desks and machines. I can imagine the latter is easier to find an alternative tenant for

unless it was outright owned by the bank, surely that's the landlord's problem?

Banks tend to own a lot more of their branch locations outright than most high street brands do. Their requirements have historically been very bespoke and financially it made a lot more sense.

Even the locations they don't own they will typically have to return in a 'non-bank' state, removing strong rooms, safes etc etc.

All these historic London branch closures have been very nice paydays AIUI.

I popped into the refurbished Barclays Oxford Circus branch this month and they have some nice self-service interior ATMs now.

The touch screens are much larger and the resolution is much improved which are more responsive. The older ones at TCR you had to really press hard on the screen.

I always find it interesting when historic bank branches are removed and previous frontages that were carved into the building itself are exposed.

When did banks start using all the coloured metal and plastic on their buildings?

AndrewPSSP wrote: Tue 28 Jan, 2025 21.56 I always find it interesting when historic bank branches are removed and previous frontages that were carved into the building itself are exposed.

When did banks start using all the coloured metal and plastic on their buildings?

Presumably the same time signage in general moved in that direction? Mid-20th century at a total guess.

ISTR there being a couple of oddball Abbey Nationals that kept their branding long after the Abbey brand was dropped because of some sort of local conservation issue. Perhaps one of the ones I'm thinking of was a Lloyds TSB which just had the TSB bit removed rather than a proper rebrand.

There have been issues with Barclays since 0945 today. The app and online banking are intermittent with some payment transfers going through. It had taken me at least two hours to be able to transfer money from one account to the other and by that point I had accidently transferred double what I meant to as the app didn't show the transaction at first.

Reports that some cards haven't been able to be used in shops and some cashpoints claiming insufficient funds even when the account has enough money to cover the transaction on social media.

I went into a branch today where it could be considered organised chaos. I went to use self-service where during authorisation the terminal crashed and a member of staff had to get the debit card back from around the back. When I first walked in, three ATMs were working but by the time I managed to withdraw cash it was only one.

Cashiers kept opening and closing at lunchtime as the system continued to break down.

To their credit, the branch staff while rushed off their feet were very helpful.

I'm not sure if it's happening to other Barclays' branches outside Central London, but the Oxford Circus branch is extending their opening hours from April 7th from 9.30am-4.30pm on weekdays, which resembles pre-Covid opening hours.

Martin Phillp wrote: Fri 14 Mar, 2025 16.14 I'm not sure if it's happening to other Barclays' branches outside Central London, but the Oxford Circus branch is extending their opening hours from April 7th from 9.30am-4.30pm on weekdays, which resembles pre-Covid opening hours.

Perhaps they realised they've cut too many branches in Central London and are overloaded in the remaining? In the past few years I know TCR, Charing Cross Rd and Soho Square have all closed within the West End.

BBC TV Centre wrote: Fri 14 Mar, 2025 19.41

Martin Phillp wrote: Fri 14 Mar, 2025 16.14 I'm not sure if it's happening to other Barclays' branches outside Central London, but the Oxford Circus branch is extending their opening hours from April 7th from 9.30am-4.30pm on weekdays, which resembles pre-Covid opening hours.

Perhaps they realised they've cut too many branches in Central London and are overloaded in the remaining? In the past few years I know TCR, Charing Cross Rd and Soho Square have all closed within the West End.

I've had a look at the branch folder and it appears to be a national change with branches in Manchester and Glasgow also changing their opening hours from April.

Just got a pleasant surprise in the post. Two days ago I visited a Virgin Money branch to request a new debit card as my current one wasn't working in certain third party ATMs (it was being spat back out without even letting me enter the pin due to the black stripe being damaged - it worked fine in VM's own ATMs). The new card just arrived in the post. That's definitely speedy service from both Virgin Money and Royal Mail. Makes a nice change!