Important News about our branch in Corby
After careful consideration, we have made the difficult decision to close the branch located at 12 New Post Office Square, Corby on 30 May 2025. The decision has been informed by several factors including a reduction in the number of customers regularly using the branch, and a move towards telephone and online services.
Corby is also the only branch where we do not own the freehold, and as the lease has recently come up for renewal, we have taken the difficult decision not to renew. This does not affect any of our other branches, which will continue to operate as usual.
We understand that this may cause inconvenience to some of our customers, and we have written to them sharing alternative ways to service their accounts. We have five other branches across Northamptonshire and Leicestershire, including branches in Kettering and Rothwell which are under 10 miles away from Corby. Customers can also make use of telephone and online servicing to manage their savings from the comfort of their own home.
We understand some customers may wish to continue using a branch in Corby, and if that is the case we have offered to support them to transfer their account to an alternative provider, such as the Nationwide Building Society who have a branch in the town.
We’re committed to making this transition as seamless as possible for customers and supporting our local communities, including maintaining a high street presence across our heartland and expanding services where there is customer demand. For example, the OneBanx kiosk we recently installed in our Market Harborough branch, following the closure of several banks in the town, provides access to essential banking services and cash facilities and is proving popular with both business and personal customers.
We also know our customers have excellent relationships with the colleagues in our branches and they will likely be concerned about their wellbeing. I’m pleased to be able to confirm that the two colleagues impacted by the closure of the branch have been assured there are alternative roles within the Society and we’re committed to working closely with them to find the right opportunities for their future career progression.
We value your support and if you would like any more information please refer to our FAQ below:
A number of factors influenced our decision to reluctantly close Corby branch including:
- Detailed analysis of a range of data in respect of business activity which indicated that the number of customers using the branch, the volume and frequency of transactions overall is reducing. Members are also using other branches and channels to manage their savings, such as telephone and online.
- Corby is the only one of our branches where we do not own the premises. Our lease on the premises expired at the end of January.
- We have looked at a number of alternative options in Corby but have been unable to find suitable premises that we could buy.
We have explored other potential sites in the town, but the lack of available property to buy coupled with the footfall and activity levels lead us to believe that keeping a full branch presence is not a sustainable option.
Our decision to close Corby followed a detailed assessment of our whole branch network. This decision does not impact our other locations.
We remain committed to our branch network and maintaining a presence on the high street. Indeed, we have recently confirmed that we will be updating our Market Harborough branch and have recently expanded the services available there.
We have a detailed plan in place to support all of our customers through the next few months including specialist assistance for those who need additional support.
The data analysis showed that many Corby customers already use alternative branches and so we look forward to continuing to serve them brilliantly over the coming years.
Whilst Desborough is the closest MHBS branch (8 miles away), Corby is well served by public transport to all of our locations:
Bus – X4 to Kettering
Train – EMR to Kettering
Bus – 19 to Desborough and Rothwell
Train – EMR to Market Harborough
We will be writing to affected customers to explain our decision and the support available to them. If customers wish to continue using a branch in Corby, we are committed to helping them to find an alternative provider in the town.
There are two colleagues directly impacted by the closure. We don’t expect to make any redundancies as a result of this decision and are committed to finding new opportunities for colleagues within our wider Savings operation.
We will be writing to all customers twice during the 3-month notice period to ensure that we make them aware of our decision and the options open to them.
We have a detailed Customer Management plan which we will execute to ensure that we are able to offer the appropriate level of support to all customers, especially those that are more vulnerable. We are fully committed to ensuring that we are as open and transparent as possible in terms of future options.
The first customer letter will be issued on Friday 28th February.
No, we expect to continue offering all of our current branch services until the branch officially closes at the end of May.
As a mutual we have a responsibility to all of our members to ensure the Society is sustainable for the future. Sometimes this means we have to take difficult decisions that impact a small number of members in the interests of our wider membership.
We remain committed to supporting members of our communities in the full range of ways we do today, including maintaining a presence on our high streets as well as charitable giving, volunteering and fundraising.
We have recently announced that we will be investing in our Market Harborough branch as part of our wider Retail Strategy, having recently supported our community through the installation of a OneBanx machine.
The branch will officially close on 30th May 2025 and our opening hours will remain unchanged until that time.
No, your account number and passbook will stay the same and can be used at any of our other branches in exactly the same way.
