Barclays is set to open new branches for the first time in a decade, marking a reversal of the bank’s extensive branch-closure programme as it seeks to strengthen its presence on Britain’s high streets.
The bank will open three new branches as part of a strategy led by Vim Maru, chief executive of Barclays UK, to bring the bank back into towns and cities across the country.
“We are back on the high street, in the communities… This is the first large bank that’s opened a branch in about a decade,” Maru said. He has headed the UK arm of the FTSE 100 banking group since 2024.
Barclays has closed more branches than many of its rivals during the shift towards online and digital banking. It now has 206 branches, having shut around 80 per cent of its network since 2019.
Maru first announced plans to reopen branches in April, although their locations were not disclosed at the time. The first two will open this month in Bishop’s Stortford, Hertfordshire, and Poole, Dorset, while a third branch is due to open in Beverley, Yorkshire, in November.
Vim Maru: From Banking Strategist to Barclays UK Chief
Vim Maru is the chief executive of Barclays UK, overseeing the bank’s consumer and business banking operations in Britain. He took up the role in February 2024 and is also a member of Barclays’ Group Executive Committee.
Born in April 1972, Maru has more than two decades of experience in the banking sector. He began his career at Santander UK, spending around 12 years in roles spanning corporate strategy, mergers and acquisitions, life insurance and retail products. He joined Lloyds Banking Group in 2011 and eventually became Group Director for Retail.
Maru joined Barclays in 2023 as Global Head of Consumer Banking and Payments before becoming CEO of Barclays UK. He studied Economics at the London School of Economics and is a Chartered Accountant.
