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PICTURE : STUART BOULTON
BANK
ON US
Why does a bank that prides itself on tradition move premises after 17 years ? With Handelsbanken , there was no question at all . For almost two decades it has put serving its Teesside customers , in every sense , at the very heart of its operations – and this was the best way to continue doing just that .
Handelsbanken ’ s Stockton-on-Tees branch has been in its Preston Farm location since it opened in 2007 . Since then , it has gone from strength to strength . A growing team , and the opportunity to broaden the bank ’ s customer offering , meant bigger premises were increasingly becoming necessary .
Core to the Handelsbanken philosophy is to deliver higher customer satisfaction and lower costs than its peers , meaning such a decision would only be made when it fulfilled both those criteria . There was an additional reason it had become not only necessary , but critical .
No one can have failed to notice the vital importance of sustainability – both to customers and any business ’ s own operations . Accordingly , Handelsbanken has chosen to implement an ambitious net zero plan , aiming to achieve this a full 10 years ahead of the rest of the industry .
Integral to this is the building ’ s energy efficiency . With the highest sustainability rating – an Energy Performance Certificate ( EPC ) of A – the new premises are a key part of meeting this .
Sustainability may seem a recent buzzword for business but , in reality , this is part of a long tradition of customer-focused relationship banking .
Founded in Sweden in 1871 , Handelsbanken has been in the UK since the 1980s and became a fully-licenced UK bank in 2018 – the better to ensure customers could have the utmost confidence in their local relationship bank .
For that is what Handelsbanken is ; a bank which has practised decentralisation for the last half century , in the belief that the people in the branches are best placed to make the right decisions . Recognising that branch managers would know their local companies and economies better than a central office ever could , the bank long ago empowered frontline colleagues to decide how to run their business .
The majority of all decisions – including those on borrowing – are made in-branch by staff who customers know , and who
Customer-focused – Handelsbanken has new premises in Stockton .
Change of premises but Handelsbanken retains commitment to established values
know them . This approach , totally core to the Handelsbanken way of working , aims to combine the best of all worlds ; all the services one expects of an international bank , delivered at a local level . Compelling digital options for those who want them , alongside face-to-face branch banking with real people .
This is one reason Handelsbanken is consistently rated the best bank for customer satisfaction – top of the independent CMA and EPSI rankings every year since both began .
With customers consistently asking for advice on how they can make their businesses more sustainable , and increasingly expecting their bank to ‘ walk the walk ’ as well as ‘ talk the talk ’, it is no surprise Handelsbanken has chosen to start its next chapter in a fully sustainable , ecofriendly location .
The bank is keen to work with anyone who shares its long-term , prudential banking values . After all , tradition should never mean being stuck in the past . It can also mean keeping the same values , today , tomorrow and beyond .
For further information , visit handelsbanken . co . uk . Second Floor , Lakeside House , Kingfisher Way , Stockton-on-Tees TS18 3NB . Tel : 01642 632980 .
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