Barclays in Isleworth is to be taken over by Sainsbury’s, leaving the town with just one bank.
The branch in London Road is due to close on June 27, with the bank citing the increasing use of internet banking as the reason for its demise.
It will be replaced by a Sainsbury’s store, where a Barclays spokesman said a free cash machine would be available.
The branch opened in 1923 and employs five staff, who Barclays said would be given the chance to transfer to other stores.
Its closure will leave the Natwest branch on the same road as the only remaining bank in Isleworth, although people will be able to make transactions at the nearby Post Office. The nearest Barclays branches are in Hounslow, Brentford and Whitton.
The way our customers interact with us is changing and in cases like Isleworth where there is low customer footfall and the type of transactions carried out in the branch are limited, we need to balance this with ensuring we provide access where our customers want us.
A Barclays spokesman said: “The way our customers interact with us is changing and in cases like Isleworth where there is low customer footfall and the type of transactions carried out in the branch are limited, we need to balance this with ensuring we provide access where our customers want us.”
Dominic West, chairman of St John’s Road Residents Association, described the closure as a blow to local shops, especially with the news coming shortly after a third bookmaker opened within 50 yards of the existing two.
“Another bank closing is only going to reduce footfall and in turn customers for local shops,” he said.
Christine Diwell, of the Isleworth Society, said it was a ‘huge pity’ to lose a bank. She also said a new Sainsbury’s store might adversely affect independent traders.
