Cooke & Arkwright
News
Principality doubles its presence in Neath
26/01/06
Principality Building Society is doubling its presence in Neath in a move to new premises at a prime high street location. The Society will occupy a corner building on Green Street with twice the frontage and additional office space on the first and second floors.
Huw Thomas of Cooke & Arkwright, who acquired the new premises and has been retained to instruct on the disposal of the current site said, “This period building is in one of the most prominent units in Neath. It has over twice the square footage and three floors, providing the Principality with the space and flexibility it requires to extend its offering to the wider community.”
Stuart Smith, premises manager for Principality Building Society, said that they had been looking for suitable premises in Neath for at least a year. “The location is extremely important to us,” he said. “We are delighted to have found such a prime site in the retail heart of Neath. It is close to the old location and highly visible, so customers can easily find us.”
Jeremy Evans, manager of the Principality branch in Neath said, “We welcome the move to larger offices within Neath town centre. The additional space will allow us to provide more privacy rooms and offer clients financial advice and services in the strictest confidence. This move demonstrates a commitment to providing first class service to the people of Neath and the surrounding area, whilst also providing all our customers, old and new, with a more welcoming atmosphere.”
The premises will now be refitted and the new branch is planned to be opened by a Neath rugby player in May 2006. Principality, which has a long association with rugby in Wales, is sponsoring the Principality Premiership, in which Neath plays, for the next three years.
The latest acquisition in Neath is part of a planned major programme of investment in the Principality’s branch network to serve local communities. Over the past year it has relocated its Merthyr, Shrewsbury and Ebbw Vale branches, redeveloped its Chester branch and opened new branches in Llanelli and Llandudno.
Formed in 1860, the Principality is Wales’ largest building society with more branches in Wales than any other building society. It is the 12th largest building society in the UK with assets of over £4.2 billion.