U.S. Consumers and the Branch. There is no denying that the number of branches in operation today is less than before the great recession. However, simply pointing out there are fewer branches is only part of the story. For example, when you consider a recent a IMF study, the number of branches is rising.

Per their research, the peak of branches per capita was 35 branches in 2009. The low point was 33 in 2014 – the same level as 10 years earlier. But in 2015, the number of branches per 100,000 started rising again.

Let’s Talk about the S-Word. So instead of another article focusing on if the branch is important, let’s talk about one of the key steps in making sure when you do branch – you get what you want. Let’s talk about Site Selection.

Good to Great: Site Selection

First Things First. The first step in site selection is not the real estate procurement, but establishing the business case. Site selection is the marriage of market analysis and real estate procurement.

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