ANZ announces it will close Sandy Bay branch in April

Banking giant ANZ has announced the closure of a southern Tasmanian branch, saying changing habits among customers has necessitated the decision. FIND OUT WHERE >>

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BANKING giant ANZ has announced it will soon close its Sandy Bay branch.

The closure will happen on April 7.

The nearest branch will now be Hobart, which will be one of nine remaining ANZ branches in Tasmania.

ANZ said the decision was brought about by a shift in customers choosing digital options, with a 10 per cent reduction each year in customer transactions.

The ANZ branch at Sandy Bay is closing on April 7.

Meanwhile, demand in non-branch roles like customer contact centres had grown.

ANZ’s general manager for Tasmania and Victoria, Cameron Home, said the bank was writing to customers to let them know about alternative banking methods, including online, telephone and mobile banking.

“We remain committed to our customers in the region and will work with them to make this transition as simple as possible,’’ he said.

“Whenever we have to make a tough decision to close any of our branches, we notify customers and let them know about all the alternatives they have available, including specialist teams on the ground in their region that can help them.”

Mr Home said the closure was announced to staff last week.

“We will seek to retain as many staff members as possible who want to stay at ANZ through helping them move into a range of new roles across ANZ where possible to continue supporting our customers,’’ he said.

“For all employees who leave, we provide access to unlimited career coaching and outplacement support as well as access to our career training fund.

“Where people face financial hardship after leaving ANZ, we will provide access to our Past Employee Care Fund to support them.”

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