In 2016, Banco Santander revolutionized the traditional concept of banking offices with Work Cafe, a space where customers come not only to carry out banking transactions but also to participate in social gatherings, work or simply enjoy delicious specialty coffee. Since then, the entity has expanded this branch model worldwide and now has more than 200 branches. The newest ones are in London, Marbella and Cantabria.

“A place where people want to come. That’s our definition of a new office at Santander“, published on Linkedin Ana Botín, who attended the opening of the Triton Square (London) office together with CEO Héctor Grisi. “This hybrid space, which combines a traditional branch with a cafeteria, is a proven model of success, along with visits, number of open accounts and loyal customers have increased in other locations in the UK,” added the bank president.

With this new opening, there are now five Works Cafés in the UK. The latter is located in a building that houses bank offices, such as the one they recently opened in Milton Keynes, their new headquarters. At the Triton branch which is a partner of the entity Colombian Coffee Company, a social enterprise that works with coffee communities in Colombia and prepares high-quality specialty coffee. The team in London is led by Sarah Hicks, who encourages people to come and experience the personal care of the organisation.

The banking group also recently unveiled a Urban Work Café on one of the most central streets in Marbellaprecisely on Avenida Ricardo Soriano, 23. This room has an area of ​​around 1,250 square meters, spread over 3 floors: meeting room, meeting area, work colleague and a cafeteria with two baristas. This office is managed by a team consisting of 8 people. With this opening, Santander now has 13 Job Cafes in Andalusia: 2 in the city and 11 at universities in the region. And last September Santander opened another one in its region. Cantabria territorial headquarterson Hernan Cortés Street, 11, the second in this autonomous community.

The bank already has 89 Work Cafes spread across Spain, 61 of which are located on university campuses and 28 in city centers. Among large cities, Madrid has 7 offices with these characteristics, and Barcelona and Cantabria 2. The opened an office at the university They are primarily aimed at young people aged between 18 and 31 and are located in smaller venues than traditional venues. In Spain, that isWork Café now has more than 300,000 active customers and receives an average of 180 visits every day..

The success of Work Cafés is based on an office model that prioritizes human relations and closeness to clients, in an environment of digitalization and innovation. The result is a modern, interactive, technological and collaborative space: in addition to hosting interesting talks, conferences and courses, each user can work, connect to the Internet, hold meetings and of course, carry out ordinary financial procedures.

The concept of this office was born in Chile and is already present in ten countries where the Cantabrian group is present: Mexico, Brazil, Chile, Argentina, Portugal, England, Poland, United States, Jersey and Spain. The first office of this type in our country was opened in 2018 in Madrid, in Plaza Sagrados Corazones. Currently the entity has 206 centers of this type spread throughout the world and continues with its expansion plans. The overwhelming response they have received is reflected in the numbers: according to bank data, Account openings at Job Cafes are between 2 and 4 times higher than at traditional branches..

In this living space, entrepreneurs and business people also find channels to multiply the visibility of their business. This is an area where they can advertise their services through digital screens, boards or virtual communities, Santander Smart Talk. Gorka Lázaro, Recruitment manager and person responsible for this initiative, said, “the idea is to create a different and freer environment, without walls or restricted routines. And this not only changes working methods, but also relationships with our colleagues .” .

After Spain, the country that has the most shops of this type is Chile, with 81 shops. After launching an eco-friendly version to integrate renewable and clean energy, this year the store opened. Expresso Work Cafenew transaction center with cashier or self-service services, embossing machines for card printing and locker for product delivery. These offices have cashier structures designed to protect the security and confidentiality of clients and non-clients present, as well as longer hours.

Mexico, which launched its first Work Café in 2019, already has five cafes. But one of the major steps of the Spanish entity in the development of this innovative model was its opening in 2020 First branch in America. Its headquarters are located in the Brooklyn borough of New York City. This office aims to offer an alternative work space for the business community which has experienced major changes in its work organization, especially emerging ones, since the pandemic.