Nationwide to expand branches, becoming UK’s largest network next month

Nationwide Building Society is set to become the UK's largest branch banking network next month, marking a significant shift as it expands its physical presence while major competitors continue to close locations. From June 4, the mutual will operate a total of 696 branches, comprising 605 Nationwide sites and 91 Virgin Money outlets, surpassing Lloyds Banking Group.

This change follows Lloyds' announcement of 95 branch closures across its brands, including Halifax and Bank of Scotland, which will leave that group with 610 branches by March next year. Nationwide's expansion occurs against a broader backdrop of high street bank retreat, with over 80 branches scheduled to close in June alone and more than 240 expected to disappear by the end of 2026. Nationwide has pledged to keep all its branches open until at least 2030.

The building society reports a growing customer appetite for face-to-face banking. Last year, it served 6.7 million unique branch users, a 5.1 percent increase from the previous year and its highest post-pandemic figure. In-branch current account sales rose by 21 percent, and the society handled 57 percent of all branch-based product openings across the market....