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28
Jul
A building society in Harrogate officially reopened its doors today (July 28) following a lengthy refurbishment.
Leeds Building Society announced in May that its Harrogate branch, on Oxford Street, would close for 10 weeks for work to be carried out.
The Stray Ferret attended today's reopening, which also featured Ronnie the Rhino, the mascot of Leeds Rhinos. Leeds Building Society is a long-time sponsor of the rugby league club.
We asked Graham Binns, Leeds Building Society's head of branch network, how much the refurbishment had cost.
Mr Binns said the project had cost “no small amount of money” and that the building had been “stripped right back to brick” but did not give a precise figure.
He added the refurbishment included the air conditioning, heating, damp proofing and roofing.
He told the Stray Ferret why the renovations were necessary:
From a customer service and colleague perspective, this place was in desperate need of work. We want it to be sustainable, customer-friendly, private and a great place for colleagues to sit as well.
It shows that we’re committed. All the banks are pulling out of the high street. Not only are we not pulling out, we’re adding new branches.
Leeds Building Society plans to renovate 50 branches over the next 10 years.
Branch manager Lavinia Croft said the six Harrogate staff members appreciated the upgrade:
The colleague spaces haven’t had any refurbishment for a very long time, so the working environment has been massively improved. It’s a lovely environment to come into every day and the team are really happy with it.
Ms Croft's office.
Ms Croft added accessibility and disability facilities have improved, which helped the company provide equal opportunities when hiring.
Business has not been easy for banking firms since covid, with many branches closing down.
Leeds Building Society's Ripon branch closed in November 2020 due to the pandemic’s impact.
So is business sustainable on the high street for Leeds Building Society? Mr Binns said:
Banks and building societies have two very different models. We think ours is simpler which allows us to sustain ourselves better on the high street. Simplicity is the key.
We have no plans at all to move from the Harrogate high street. Harrogate is just on the outskirts of our central hub in Leeds and it’s one of our key branches. We wanted to stay here because it’s in such a great position.
Leeds Building Society is open from 9.30am to 4.45pm Monday to Friday. It is also open on the first Saturday of each month, and the first and last Saturday of the tax year, between 9.30am and 12pm.
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