A bank has announced the impending closure of two of its six branches in the region.
Heritage will shut the doors of its Nambour and Noosa branches at 4pm on Friday, April 4.
A statement from Heritage said the branch closures reflected a shift in how its customers choose to do their banking.
“We know the important role branches play in local communities, so these decisions are only made after much careful consideration,” chief customer officer Maria-Ann Camilleri said.
“Increasingly, our customers are choosing card payments, ATMs, internet banking and our app for their day-to-day banking.
“Branches now make up less than 1 per cent of all transactions. Fewer than 50 members use each of these branches on a monthly basis.
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“While these decisions are challenging, we need to prioritise the services our customers use most.
“This means reallocating people and resources to higher-demand areas, such as our 24/7 contact centre, and investing in technology to meet customers’ needs for simple, convenient digital banking.
“We will support everyone affected with care and understanding.”
The Heritage statement said all Nambour and Noosa Civic branch employees would be offered alternative roles with the bank.
It said regular branch users were being notified of the closure and provided with information about alternative ways to bank with Heritage, and the support available to help them make any transitions.
“We know there are a small number of customers who prefer using these branches and we will do everything we can to help them adjust to this change,” Ms Camilleri said.
“In-person banking and cash access will remain available. We believe that with personalised support, we can help these customers move to different ways of banking with minimal disruption.”
Affected customers will still be able to use ATMs, internet banking, the Heritage app, and have access to the bank’s 24/7 national contact centre.
Alternative Heritage branches are at Palmwoods, Maroochydore, Kawana and Caloundra.
The closure of the two Heritage branches follows the closure of four Commonwealth branches in the region in as many years.
