As much as 50% of existing retail bank branches in developed markets such as the UK, Europe and the US will be obsolete by 2020 as banks assess their space requirements, according to a retail report issued by Jones Lang LaSalle. However, the real estate services group suggests that the decline will be offset by an increasing number of retail bank branches in developing countries such as Brazil, China and India.
The report, titled ‘Global Retail Banking: Key Trends for Retail Estate’, forecasts that changes in global retail banking will be fuelled by increasing customer demand for innovation, flexible service capability and banks actively managing their brand’s presence in a retail environment. Evolving customer needs are continuing to change banking channels and developing technology will increase the reliance on data and security.
“The perfect storm facing the global banking industry continues unabated,” said Robert Bonwell, chief executive officer (CEO) for Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA) retail at Jones Lang LaSalle. “However, within the kaleidoscope of increasing regulatory, legislative and legal scrutiny, retail banks face the greatest opportunity of all retail sectors to unlock the power of their real estate networks.”
Key findings of the report include:
- Retail banks will increase their focus on multi-channel, by getting the right physical presence in the right place, supplemented by mobile and internet banking services.
- Increased customer segmentation will focus their efforts on which services to provide to whom, where and how.
- Hi-tech experimental branches will be used for 24 hour access to call centre staff through video conferencing and other technological developments, and a move to mimicking customer-centric retail environments.
- Greater attention to data storage requirements, with increased online and mobile transaction volumes.