Refurbishment Makes Enterprise Credit Union ‘Branch of the Future’

Friday 26 January 2024

In July, after months of planning, Enterprise Credit Union closed their Hall Lane branch for a major refurbishment, with the team taking up temporary residence at St Gabriel’s Church Huyton.

Hall Lane was first opened back in 2000, and since then has served ECU very well, playing a key role in the success of the credit union and witnessing it grow from 1,000 members to now over 22,000.

22 years later, with the help of award-winning office design and fit out specialists Opus 4, Hall Lane has been transformed into their ‘branch of the future’.

The exterior of the branch has had a complete makeover, the front door, windows, and walls have been replaced with floor to ceiling glass, allowing natural light to flow freely throughout. Inside, the space is divided by glass partitions, and along the wall runs a historic timeline of ECU, highlighting many of their accomplishments since their journey began.

What was originally the conference room, is now a brand-new multifunctional space, that will be used for a variety of setups, including training, presentations, and meetings. From the ceiling hangs sound absorbing acoustic panelling and LED ring pendant lighting, and placed across the wall are ECU’s core values, boldly featured inside large acrylic disks.

“Our vision was to create a welcoming, open environment, and an experience for the members that was much more than a place they could deposit or withdraw funds”, says CEO of ECU, Karen Bennett. “Day-to-day transactions are still available as always, however there is no longer a barrier between their members and the team.

Now when visitors step through the door, they’re greeted by the many friendly, familiar faces of ECU, as they have now moved away from the traditional ‘back-office’, switching it for something a little more open and personal, by introducing pods, and if members wish to discuss something in a private space, that option is available too.

Earlier in September, they invited their team for a private reveal, and here’s what Tracie, their Member Services Team Leader had to say: “It’s such a massive change, it looks so inviting and professional. It really breathes new life into the branch, and I know it will be the same for our team too.

“Lots of hard work has gone into turning ECU’s innovative plans into reality, and we couldn’t have done it without our Head of Operations, Irene, the team at Opus4, and Rev Canon Malcolm Rogers, Vicar at St Gabriel’s for providing a space that allowed them to seamlessly continue serving their local members.”