Dudley Building Society opens new Bromsgrove branch

Dudley Building Society is helping to put the heart back into the high street with the opening of a new branch in Bromsgrove.

The opening, on Monday September 21st, marks the start of a long-term investment in the town and its people. As well as bringing trusted face-to-face financial services to the high street, the branch will provide a base for a much wider commitment to the community.

Over the coming months and years, we're planning an extensive programme of activities for local residents, schools, businesses, young people and voluntary groups. This includes our flagship mentoring programme, Prosper, which will bring local business leaders together with young people who are not currently in education, employment or training. The free 12-week programme helps 18 to 25-year-olds build confidence, improve their personal and financial resilience and develop the habits, skills and relationships to take the next steps in life.

The branch will support customers with savings enquiries and help connect those with mortgage needs to a suitable mortgage broker. The design of the new branch marks a break away from the traditional banking hall layout. The former Co-operative Funeralcare shop has been transformed into a modern, comfortable and inviting space, which will become a real community hub.

The next stage of this ‘heart of the community’ approach is to get to know local people better. While members of our Bromsgrove team have been out and about on the market and in the library for the past few months, our branch manager Ashley Pattison and team of specialists are now inviting people to pop in and see the new-look premises.

As September 21-27 is UK Savings Week, our team will be on hand to share advice on personal, business and charitable savings. A series of workshops is also planned to help us further understand how people feel about the high street and what they would like to see from the town in the years ahead.

Schools will be invited to take part in activities exploring the future of the high street, while we will look for opportunities to support and engage with local independent businesses through the branch.

Simon Dodd, Head of Products and Marketing at Dudley Building Society, said: “Opening this branch represents a significant investment in Bromsgrove and the people who live and work there. We’ve spent a lot of time in the area already and can see it’s a town full of aspiration and potential.

Being at the heart of a community means more than opening a branch on the high street though. We need to earn our place by playing an active role in the community beyond the financial services we provide.That starts with listening to the people who already know the town best and then finding practical ways to support their priorities for the area. So the work doesn’t stop now the doors are open. The branch gives us a permanent base from which we can build relationships, bring people together and support programmes such as Prosper. Our hope is that, 12 months from now, people see Dudley Building Society as a key part of the Bromsgrove community and can point to a positive difference our presence has made to the town" 

Bromsgrove is the latest location in our wider strategy to bring personal, face-to-face financial services back to high streets across the region. It follows the opening of a branch in Bridgnorth last year and joins existing sites at Brierley Hill, Dudley, Gornal Wood, Kingswinford and Perton.

While customers and local people are invited through the doors from Monday, September 21, a bigger community launch event is planned for October 5th. For more information on our branch opening times and where to find us in Bromsgrove, please visit our Bromsgrove page.