Manchester Building Society prepares to throw open its doors and extend a big welcome at its flagship branch, 74 King Street, the new branch team has been pictured for the first time.
Going against a tide of local bank branch closures, 74 King Street is set to offer friendly, face-to-face, accessible financial services, including savings and professional financial advice for all - regardless of wealth.
Led by Development Director, Deborah Walker, the team of 9 passionate customer service advisers, all recruited locally, include Branch Manager, Gavin Bostock and Branch Assistant Manager, Chloe Parsons. They are also joined by Carl Shropshire, the branch’s dedicated financial adviser.
As King Street undergoes its remaining fit-out, the team took a break from training and gathered at the HideOut Youthzone in Gorton, Manchester for a team community day which was focused on raising the aspirations of young people across the city.
Members of the team are drawn from a range of diverse backgrounds, bringing experience from careers in retail, financial services, hospitality, and youth and community work. The branch has a flexible events and collaboration space which will be free to use for local groups and charities.
Branch Manager, Gavin, who previously worked in a regional leadership role for Argos said:
“I’ve spent 27 years working in retail in the North West and I’m thrilled to be back on the front line, ready to welcome customers and community groups into the King Street branch. I’m really happy to be working for a business that truly understands the value of face-to-face engagement and has a stated commitment to open branches across the region. The whole team is really passionate about making a difference.”
Branch Assistant Manager Chloe was an assistant bank manager for Metro Bank and has also worked in other financial services roles. She said:
“Having worked in more of an office environment in recent years, I can’t wait to get back to those grassroots, genuine interactions with customers. A branch presence is really needed and the services we’ll be able to offer the wider community – such as a free use of meeting spaces – will hopefully prove really popular.”
Ben Welch, customer service adviser, who has worked at Leeds and Skipton Building Societies said:
“Many people are in the dark about money – from savings and mortgages to pensions – so it’s great that we’ll have a financial advice offer in the branch. We’re also going to be open from 8am till 6pm Monday-Friday, and 9am till 1pm on Saturdays, which means there should hopefully be a convenient time for everyone to visit.”
Mohammed Ali, another customer adviser who worked for NatWest for eight years said:
“I love the values of Manchester Building Society and what we stand for as a brand. It’s exciting that the logo draws on each borough of Greater Manchester so everyone feels included. I can’t wait to start helping customers.”
Professional Financial Adviser, Carl Shropshire, will be available for appointments to discuss any kind of financial planning or financial advice. There will be no income or savings requirement to secure a meeting with Carl and anyone is welcome.
Carl, who previously worked as a Financial Adviser at Skipton Building Society said:
“It’s rare that a high street bank or building society has a financial adviser available to anyone. I’m looking forward to meeting prospective clients and helping them to understand the options they have for their money and how we can help them.”
Deborah Walker, Development Director for Manchester Building Society said:
“We are committed to doing things differently at Manchester Building Society. Although we’ll of course have a digital offer for those who want it, we are committed to offering a deep human connection and will be there for people, in person, when they need us. This team brings a wealth of frontline retail and banking experience but also warmth, passion and emotional intelligence that we know customers will love. We can’t wait to throw open the doors to King Street and start supporting people with life’s biggest challenges.”
