Barclays is charting a decisive U-turn on the high street, with plans to open new branches across the country and reinstate the once-familiar “bank manager” job title, a move that signals a broader rethink of how Britain’s traditional lenders compete in an increasingly digital age.
Vim Maru, who has led Barclays UK since 2024, told Business Matters that the bank intended to grow its branch network beyond the current 206 outlets, having already paused a closure programme that saw roughly 80 per cent of its branches shut since 2019. One of his first acts after taking charge was to halt the cull, and he is now pressing ahead with expansion, though he declined to put a precise figure on how many new sites would open.
The shift comes as digital-only challengers such as Revolut and Wise make increasingly aggressive moves into the current-account market, threatening the established banks’ grip on everyday consumer banking. Rather than trying to outpace them on technology alone, Maru is placing his chips on a blend of slick digital services and genuine, in-person support, what he described as the winning formula for modern banking.
He was characteristically blunt about the shortcomings of purely automated customer service. Barclays customers, he insisted, would not find themselves trapped in an endless loop with a chatbot when they needed real help. The bank has also quietly reintroduced traditional role titles, so that customers walking through the door can once again ask to speak to the branch or bank manager.
Maru stopped short of conceding that Barclays had been too aggressive in its earlier round of closures, but acknowledged that the bank needed to reassess how it served its customers every few years. The new branches will sit alongside the shared banking hubs operated through the Post Office, rather than replace them.
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