Sparkasse branches in the fight for survival: New strategy to attract customers
Created: 10/01/2023 17:31
By: Lisa Mayerhofer
Banks are closing their branches nationwide.
The savings banks are now increasingly working together with the municipalities to maintain their branches.
Cologne – If you want to withdraw money or make a transfer from the Sparkasse Köln-Bonn in Rodenkirchen, you can now also apply for an identity card there or take care of other registration-related matters: In a pilot project, the city of Cologne also offers its citizens’ service once a week in the Sparkasse branch.
The savings banks want to use this to combat branch deaths.
Digitization: More and more branches have to be closed
Because: Nationwide, the banks are closing rows of branches.
According to focus.de
, Joachim Wuermeling, member of the Bundesbank's board of directors, attributes this
to increasing digitization: "Ultimately, we experience the same thing at banks as we do in retail, at booksellers or in the music business." More and more people are doing their banking online, the Going to the branch is no longer necessary.
The problem: the savings banks, like the Volksbanks, have shifted to the principle of regionality - which means that they have to stay on site.
Meanwhile, other banks such as Deutsche Bank or Commerzbank have already significantly thinned out their branch network.
Savings banks offer their branches to municipalities and cities
But how can the Sparkasse manage to ensure that the branches remain profitable?
One solution is to merge with the respective municipalities - as in Cologne.
City director Andrea Blome announced in a statement that the pilot project would be further expanded if successful.
The goal is to "offer shorter distances and better service" to the citizens of Cologne.
Angela Langen, head of department at Sparkasse Köln-Bonn, pointed out that Sparkasse customers can combine two tasks to save time in this way.
And she admits that the Sparkasse is "interested in the times of resource conservation" in making unused office space available for use by the city.
The project is not that new: Sparkasse Nürnberg started a similar pilot project with the city of Nuremberg in the summer of 2021.
And at the Hamburger Stadtsparkasse, citizens can also take advantage of services in several branches, such as applying for or extending passports or ID cards.
It remains to be seen whether the new concept can curb the number of branches dying.