Metro Bank : Comes to Solihull and Merry Hill

• New seven-day-a-week stores to open in both Solihull and Merry Hill shopping centre on Friday 20 & Saturday 21 September 2019
• Creates 50 new jobs in the West Midlands and Black Country regions
• More than 5,000 safe deposit boxes available

Metro Bank, the revolution in British banking, is set to open its 69^th and 70^th stores on Friday 20 & Saturday 21 September in Solihull and Merry Hill - hot on the heels of the launch of its new Birmingham store last week. Both stores will be hosting a two day opening party where everyone is welcome. The Solihull store will be located at 119 High Street, in the heart of the town centre, and the Intu Merry Hill shopping centre store, located in Brierley Hill, will be the first Metro Bank to open in the Black Country and the region's first drive-thru banking experience.

Both stores will combine face-to-face banking with state-of-the-art technology, providing residents and businesses with a customer-focused and convenient banking experience. Metro Bank continues to grow its store network at a time when other traditional players in the industry are closing branches - according to analysis from Which?, the West Midlands alone has seen more than 230 branch closures since 2015. Just last week Metro Bank opened its first store in the West Midlands region, in the city centre of Birmingham.

Customers will be able to visit the stores seven days a week, with no appointment needed, and open a personal or business account on-the-spot, leaving with their debit card in hand, along with internet and mobile banking set-up. Known for its exceptional customer service, Metro Bank recently achieved the top spot in the CMA's Service Quality Survey.

The stores combined will have more than 5,000 safe deposit boxes available, with customers able to reserve a box from a month before the store openings. Additionally, the Merry Hill store will offer a drive-thru service, allowing customers to carry out cashier services from the comfort of their cars.

Local companies will benefit from a Local Business Manager ready to help them run and grow their businesses, as well as having free access to the Forum of Private Business' wealth of bespoke resources and free use of the stores' meeting spaces.

Local residents and businesses are also encouraged to attend the stores' free events that are hosted throughout the year, from networking sessions, to charity fundraisers and family craft events.

Andy Street, the Mayor of the West Midlands, has welcomed the West Midlands expansion of the challenger bank.

The former John Lewis MD said: 'We are always thrilled to welcome innovative businesses to the West Midlands, and Metro Bank sits firmly in that category. Whether it is banking services for local businesses or personal products for retail customers, the new Metro Bank stores certainly add to the broad range of professional services on offer across the region.

'The expansion of Metro Bank also shows how there is still life in our high streets, with new stores and services seeing profitable futures across the West Midlands.'

Councillor Ian Courts, Leader of Solihull Council, welcomed the Metro Bank to Solihull town centre.

'It is great to see another business deciding to locate in Solihull town centre and I wish Metro Bank all the best for the future. This new investment shows the town continues to be a vibrant and thriving centre.'

Ian Walters, Managing Director of Retail and Business Banking at Metro Bank added: 'Metro Bank's further expansion into the West Midlands and the Black Country is supporting communities and businesses, and providing them with real choice in who they bank with.

'We're thrilled to bring the banking revolution to the local residents and businesses of both Solihull and the Merry Hill area, and we look forward to our stores becoming real hubs for their local communities.'

All stores are open at the most convenient time for local people, from 8am to 8pm Monday to Fridays, 8am to 6pm on Saturday and 11am to 5pm on Sundays and bank holidays, 362 days a year.