Branching out: why banks are back on the British high street

Kelly, a staff member at Virgin Money in Northampton. The bank’s owner, Nationwide, has committed to keep the branch open until 2030. Photograph: Graeme Robertson/The Guardian

On a crisp Friday morning in early December, Abington Street in Northampton is starting to stir. Despite having lost high street stalwarts like Marks & Spencer, Moss Bros and H&M in recent years, it is drawing in locals for one end-of-week errand: banking.

Along the pedestrianised road, customers are streaming in and out of HSBC, Barclays, Metro Bank and the building society Nationwide. But it is a rare scene that defies a wider trend: more than 6,000 bank branches in the UK have closed since 2015 as bosses try to cut costs and push millions of customers towards online services.