PRESS RELEASE

INTESA SANPAOLO PRESENTS ITS NEW BRANCH MODEL

THE AIM IS TO REACH 1000 BRANCHES, THE FIRST 50 BY THE END OF 2015: THEY WILL BE THE “HUBS” OF THE REAL ECONOMY

• A “revolution” that started in Milan, Rome and Turin, and that Intesa Sanpaolo will bring both to small towns and large cities
• This new way of banking will be based on a welcoming customer service and human relationships
• Branches become open and flexible: spaces to experience together and for dedicated meetings, with long opening times, proposals for events that combine entrepreneurship, innovation, art, culture and the third sector
• The new branch model was developed from listening to customers and the experience of those who work most closely with them
• Each branch will employ about 15 members of staff in an area of an average of 500 square meters
• The goal is to make people feel "at home" by integrating advisory services and digital channels

Milan, 27 October 2015. Intesa Sanpaolo presents its new branch model: the layout has changed according to a different way of banking whose scope is to make people feel “at home” by focusing on a welcoming customer service and human relationships. After three pilot branches in Milan, Rome and Turin, one of the first renovated branches is the branch at Piazza Cordusio in Milan, which was presented this morning and will be the focus of a programme called “L’Italia dal vivo” (Italy live) for the next three days.

Before the end of the year, 50 medium-large Intesa Sanpaolo Group branches will be completely redesigned and renovated. The ultimate goal is about 1,000 branch offices, combining a service more in line with the changing needs of customers with a more efficient and rational use of space. Each branch will have a staff of 15 employees and a surface area of approximately 500 square meters. Compared to the traditional model, it will be possible to recover up to 40% of the space for new customer activities and services. Intesa Sanpaolo will bring these changes both to large cities - in historical centres and high density social and business areas - and small towns, in line with the vocation of the Bank, whose ties with the local areas have been the key to its success.

The inauguration was attended by the Managing Director and CEO of the Intesa Sanpaolo Group Carlo Messina, the Head of the Sales and Marketing Area Stefano Barrese and the Head of External Relations Vittorio Meloni.

The new branch model was developed after carefully listening and processing the comments and suggestions of customers and the Bank employees who work closely with customers.

The format focuses, among other things, on the idea of the branch as the "hub" of the real economy, a place of dialogue, meetings, communication and work for families, businesses, professionals, businesswomen who are looking for new professional opportunities and start-ups or young people looking for educational and job opportunities. The lay-out of the new branch was developed as a modular space to organize events and activities, including artistic, cultural and third sector events.

A welcoming customer service and human relationships are the main objectives of this change of model. To achieve them, the Bank has gradually broken down barriers and borders. A key moment was in January 2013, with the introduction of longer opening times, until late evening and Saturday mornings.
 
The “revolution” of spaces begins today. The focus of the branch is the “hub”, a place - and not just metaphorically - where people may exchange ideas and experiences, and where discussions and events take place. At the centre of this common area is a large wooden table, surrounded by bookshelves, sofas and armchairs. The lounges for informal meetings, spaces for private meetings, self-service cashier’s desks and the Intesa Sanpaolo Casa space, the estate agent of the Group, all look out onto the “hub”.

The branch becomes a sort of social platform that places the customers at the centre, allowing them to obtain new skills and participate in initiatives and events that do not only concern banking or finance. With its 11 million household and business customers, the Bank aims at developing new intermediation areas, matching supply and demand. The first proposals on our agenda are: the presentation of a new novel in Rome, a meeting dedicated to women's health in Turin, the display of “The Kiss” by Hayez in Milan tonight and a debate on new businesses in the afternoon.

The new branch combines digitalization and physical relationships with the customer. This is obvious right from the reception desk, another constant feature in the new model. Cutting-edge technology allows immediate recognition of a customer and its relationship with the Bank. Staff will therefore welcome customers and assist the same if they require expert advice or assistance, for example in the use of self-service cashier's desks.

Thanks to 54 hours of training per employee a year, Intesa Sanpaolo intends to focus even more on service quality and human relationships. More than 80% of transactions are now carried out through non-physical channels, although the branch continues to play a central role in providing advisory services and assisting customers to make their most important choices. Technology is a constant but discrete presence: Wi-Fi, lockers for e-commerce purchases, tablets for customers, information monitors and video-conference facilities.

In his speech, Carlo Messina placed the focus on the Group's strategy: “For Intesa Sanpaolo today is a very special day: the new branch model marks a complete and radical renovation; it is a great deal more than simply aesthetic renovation. The changes in the physical place, indeed, go hand in hand with that of the mentality and approach of our people. The goal is to give a definite form to our identity: Intesa Sanpaolo is the bank of the real economy and the new branch will become hubs. They are an open place, a space for listening and customer relations, 'inhabited' by people who give voice and meaning to them. We will strengthen our relationship with our customers even more, in line with our DNA. During the years of the recession, while our country was in difficulty on world markets, we did our part by continuing to grant credit. Today, in a context that has radically and positively changed, we are the Bank at the service of growth. From the beginning of this year through to October, Intesa Sanpaolo has disbursed over 32 billion of new medium and long term loans in Italy, and this is growing significantly: +48.3%. Particularly important is our commitment to households and small businesses, which reached 26 billion, thus recording an increase of more than 62%.”

Stefano Barrese said: “Our idea stems from the need to give a different meaning to our network throughout the country. We want to welcome customers in a new way that combines relationships with digital technology, which for us is essential. The two aspects, indeed, not only do not mutually exclude each other, but are necessary to one another in order to offer a service in line with the times. We have achieved this small revolution thanks to the hard work of our people, carried out with passion over months and months of work.”

Vittorio Meloni pointed out that: "The inauguration of this branch is also a time of celebration, just like the inauguration of a new home. For the opening we will give a sample of the events and format we intend to propose: businesses and jobs, innovation and start-ups, culture, art and the third sector in environments developed to enter into a relationship with customers in an entirely new way, focusing on modular and flexible spaces”.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

For further information, please contact

Intesa Sanpaolo 
Media Relations
Banca dei Territori and Media locali
Tel. +39 011555 6652 – 049 6539835 – 02 87962677 – 02 87962642
stampa@intesasanpaolo.com