Barclays planning return to high street branchesSince 2018 the high street lender has shut more than 800 branches in the UKAn exterior view of the Barclays headquarters high-rise building in Canary Wharf (Image: OGULCAN AKSOY via Getty Images)Barclays is reportedly planning to return to the high street by opening new branches and bringing back “bank managers”. Vim Maru, chief executive officer at Barclays UK, told the Times he does not want customers to get “stuck in some chatbot” when they need help. ‌Since 2018, more than 800 Barclays branches have closed – leaving 206 still open around the UK, according to the company’s latest annual report. Mr Maru joined Barclays in 2023, and took over running the UK arm of the bank in 2024. Most customers come in and they want to talk to the bank manager from time to time,” said Mr Maru.

Source: The Times April 06, 2026 06:54 UTC