Closing permanently: The bank branch opposite the train station. Picture: John Veage
Empty feeling: Nearby vacancy. Picture: John Veage
The ailing Caringbah shopping strip has suffered another blow with the permanent closure of the Westpac bank from Friday, October 16.
A Westpac spokesperson said transactions and foot traffic at the Kingsway branch, which has been closed temporarily during COVID-19, had declined significantly.
"Customer transactions have fallen 12 per cent over the past two years," the spokesperson said.
"More than 98 per cent of customer transactions are now done online or with cards, phones and more recently watches, and we now have more than 42 million internet banking logins per week.
"COVID-19 has accelerated what was already a rapid adoption of digital banking and a move away from cash."
