PRESS RELEASE

INTESA SANPAOLO LAUNCHES ITS NEW BRANCH MODEL IN TURIN WITH A RADICAL TRANSFORMATION OF THE LAYOUT AND SERVICES OFFERED BASED ON THE CONCEPT OF SHARING IDEAS AND EXPERIENCES

• The renewal of Intesa Sanpaolo’s network has begun with the historical Corso Peschiera 151 branch in Turin
• Branches are opening up and becoming more flexible, with comfortable spaces designed for customers and for the general public; the brief has been to promote the exchange of ideas and experiences ranging between art, culture, innovation, entrepreneurship, and the not-for-profit sector
• The aim is to improve customer experience, deepening the relationship with the customer through continuous dialogue integrated across all channels
• A programme of meetings, art and music marked the occasion, introducing a new banking concept for all to share

Turin, 13 April 2016 - Intesa Sanpaolo today unveiled the new interior of its Corso Peschiera branch, which has historically been one of the Group’s largest branches in the city. The premises have been completely renewed along the lines of the new layout introduced by the Bank from October 2015: 50 branches have already been restructured, 100 will have been finished by the end of this year, and 1,000 will have changed by the end of the programme. Changing the physical outlet goes hand in hand with our approach to our customers both in big cities and rural areas.

The presentation was attended by Carlo Messina the Intesa Sanpaolo Group Managing Director and CEO, Stefano Barrese, head of the Banca dei Territori Division, Vittorio Meloni, Director of External Relations and Cristina Balbo, Regional Director for Piedmont, Valle d'Aosta and Liguria.

The new branch model has been developed by listening to suggestions from the bank’s customers and staff. Sharing stories and values, local roots, hospitality, flexibility and modularity are the keywords driving this interior design revolution, following on from the successful formula developed for Expo Milan 2015, where Intesa Sanpaolo’s The Waterstone pavilion showcased Italian excellence in business, art and culture.

With the development of new concepts and technologies, branches are decreasingly seen as places for transactions with tellers behind counters and are becoming more and more informal and welcoming, partnering dialogue, meetings, communication and work. They are ideas workshops allowing the Bank to interconnect at a local level
 
with events for families, entrepreneurs, professionals, start ups, and young people and organising cultural, artistic and social activities.

The branch restyling project creates synergies with the development of digital channels, which are becoming ever more important relative to traditional ones (now over 4 million customers use multiple channels; in 2015 the volume of transactions through direct channels grew by 42%). Intesa Sanpaolo focuses on service quality and human relationships, and views its branches as a vital reservoir of experience and customer contact; as a result branches have been given a central advisory role to accompany customers in making their most important choices. Branches will increasingly become the physical focus of the relationship, fully integrated with the other touch points enabling the customer to contact the bank.

 

The new Corso Peschiera branch

The Corso Peschiera premises employ a total of 46 people in approximately 1,650 sqm, of which 250 sqm are dedicated to the Intesa Sanpaolo Private Banking subsidiary. Compared to the previous configuration, approximately 20% more area has been freed up and can now be used to host new activities and customer services.

The branch entrance has been fully glazed, with no architectural barriers. The interior is fully visible from the outside with eleven windows forming a continuous façade, which ensure maximum transparency and enable the Bank to communicate its solutions and services to passers by, encouraging them to enter.

The branch has three floors. The first space upon entering is the reception area, which is the point of first contact with customers and serves to guide them towards the services requested. With the help of new technologies, the receptionists enable customers to move towards the services they want, from specialist advice to using self service counters; they also arrange new meetings.

The focus of the branch is the "square", which is a shared area designed for the exchange of ideas and experiences, and for hosting events and encounters with customers and the general public. In the middle is a large table of untreated wood surrounded by bookcases, sofas and armchairs. The counters are situated close to this space. There are two traditional counters and two assisted service counters which can manage deposits and other collection and payment operations, seven lounges for meetings requiring some privacy (low privacy) and a space for Intesa Sanpaolo Casa, the Group’s estate agency.

The first floor includes eight lounges providing customers and managers with complete privacy for advisory meetings (high privacy); some of them have a video wall next to the table which can be used as a second screen during the meeting with the customer. This floor also includes a space for co-working, as well as the areas dedicated to the Private banking branch.
In the basement there is an additional space for the co-working requirements of Intesa Sanpaolo Casa.

Technology is a constant presence: the external assisted service counters, which are accessible 24/7, has two evolved ATMs and an ATM just for withdrawals. Indoors customers have access to wi-fi, lockers for e-commerce purchases, and tablets.

During the restructuring simple materials were used, and special attention was paid to their environmental value.

Opening hours have been extended into the evening and to Saturday mornings.

 

The presentation of the new layout was part of a wider programme of events later in the day, to bring the Corso Peschiera Intesa Sanpaolo branch to life, and to invite the local area to learn more about the new banking concept including: from 16:00 to 18:00, a meeting dedicated to start ups and to the theme of innovation, organised by StartupItalia! in collaboration with the Intesa Sanpaolo Innovation Center; from 19:00 to 20.30, a musical performance by the Arcote Project, in connection with Intesa Sanpaolo’s partnership with the Turin Jazz Festival. All day, and until 29 April, the branch will also host an exhibition of four works in bronze on the subject of jazz sculpted by the Turin-based artist Mario Giansone. This will be a preview of the “Giansone – L’armonia Nascosta” exhibition, held from 21 April to 25 May in the Theatre of the Palazzo Saluzzo Paesana, supported by Intesa Sanpaolo. In addition, the Bank will soon acquire a core of works by Giansone, which will enrich the art collections of the Group.

In his speech, Carlo Messina reiterated the strategy pursued by the Group in supporting the country's growth: “Intesa Sanpaolo’s new branch model is not just a complete renovation of a physical place, it also shows how we are changing the way we think. I don't believe anyone who says that the future is digital only: Intesa Sanpaolo is the go-to bank for the real economy, and the new branches will have a vital role as the place where this economy will transact its business, allowing us to strengthen even further our relationship with our roots, in this case with Turin which is of paramount importance for the Group. At the same time, we will showcase and promote the excellence of our country. We are driving new businesses forward, but we know what our mission is: to be the Bank for growth, which believes in and invests in existing companies and households. Over the first quarter of 2016 we provided over €10 billion in new loans in Italy, compared with more than €7 billion last year, of this €9 billion was to SMEs and Households compared to €6 billion in 2015.”

Stefano Barrese said: “Our new branch layout is focused on creating connections with customers and between customers. We are also using it to host activities which generate synergies with our core business: one example is the area dedicated to Intesa Sanpaolo Casa, which complements our range of “home purchase” products with highly qualified real estate consulting and ancillary services. The challenge is to respond in new ways to all needs including the most traditional ones, by developing the enormous opportunities opened up by the digital revolution. From June we will start transitioning to fully electronic processes, which will be completed within the year. We have launched services and digital platforms to aid our business customers in their approach to foreign markets, and in their innovation needs. We are working on sector ratings, in order to be able to look past the financial statements and prioritise qualitative aspects. For households, the central themes remain home purchase, savings, security and pensions. The goal is to add more and more innovative solutions to products which will always exist, be they savings or loans, at the same as maintaining customer trust.”

Cristina Balbo stressed the local impact of the initiative: “The Corso Peschiera branch is the first one in Turin to be redesigned using the new layout criteria. The transformation of the spaces reflects the welcoming attitude which we want to project to our local roots, in line with the approach adopted Group-wide. In this region, where Intesa Sanpaolo has been active for many years and which is a reference point for the local economy, this will promote further the connections that we nurture day in day out with the key local players. In practice, we are providing a physical location where customers, associations, start-ups, innovative companies, technology parks and universities, can meet, do business and exchange ideas. It is also a good opportunity to meet the needs of young people, families, and businesses to develop solutions to help them achieve their aspirations and project goals.”

Vittorio Meloni highlighted that the: “Intesa Sanpaolo communications strategy focuses on the concept of sharing: this Bank is increasingly open to the vital forces of society which want to return to growth based on concrete projects. This branch inauguration is a small sample of the events and new formats that we will be offering: business, innovation, work, culture and the not-for-profit sector all brought together in redesigned premises to engage with customers and the real economy in completely new ways. Our branches will be venues which we will fill with stimuli on a daily basis, and they will be places full of engaging stories telling of the successes and excellence of the local areas.”

 

 

 

Press information:
Intesa Sanpaolo
Banca dei Territori Media and local Media

Tel. +39 011.5559609 – 011.5556652
stampa@intesasanpaolo.com