A&L and B&B staff receive new uniforms

Alliance & Leicester (A&L) and Bradford & Bingley savings (B&B) branch staff have all received new Santander uniforms this week ahead of adopting the Santander global brand in 2010. Branch staff at Abbey already wear the Santander uniforms. The move is the first visible sign for our customers in the UK of Santander's intention to move to one brand.

The old uniform jackets will be sent to India were they will be made into felt, and the rest of the garments will be de-tagged and sent to Africa for re-use.

Alison Brittain, Executive Director, UK Retail Distribution, said: "Introducing the Santander uniform into Alliance & Leicester and Bradford & Bingley branches is one of the first major changes our customers will notice as we bring together the three UK brands."

Abbey and B&B savings will be rebranded from the first quarter of 2010 and A&L will follow later in the year, as IT changes ensure any Santander customer in the UK can transact in all its UK branches.

The move will deliver a significant advantage for customers as they will be able to use 1,000 branches from early 2010, rising to 1,300 by the end of 2010; doubling the branches currently available to Abbey customers and quadrupling the branches available to A&L and B&B customers.

The change also reflects Santander Group's policy to operate under a single brand. As a global brand, the flame logo and Santander name is now seen in over 40 countries around the world.

Alison Brittain continues: "We have also been working behind the scenes at Bradford & Bingley to ensure that we achieve our goal of combining this business with Abbey to create the Santander network in January 2010. We have successfully integrated Santander's global IT platform and are refurbishing all of the B&B branches so they have the same look and feel as our Abbey branches."

Santander has already rebranded its UK card's business and the UK Corporate Banking operations.