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Deutsche Bank to shut down one in five German branches

Deutsche Bank said Tuesday it will close one-fifth of its German branches to cut costs and adapt to changing consumer habits in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic.

Published: 22 September 2020 13:48 CEST

Deutsche Bank to shut down one in five German branches

A red light next to a Deutsche Bank sign in Dresden. Photo: DPA

Germany's largest bank plans to reduce its high-street footprint from 500 to 400 branches “as quickly as possible,” said Philipp Gossow, head of the private banking division.

“Customer demand for advice has increased significantly since the coronacrisis. But customers go to the branch less often for advice” as they become more comfortable with online tools, Gossow told a conference in Frankfurt.

READ ALSO: Deutsche Bank set to cut 9,000 jobs in Germany

The closures are to take place mainly in urban locations.

Related layoffs will be part of the 18,000 job cuts already announced in 2019, the bank said.

The move comes after German rival Commerzbank said it would slash its high-street presence and cut 10,000 jobs.

Deutsche has struggled in recent years amid a series of scandals, and is undergoing a restructuring that pivots operations away from investment banking.

Deutsche lost almost 10 percent of its stock market value Monday after media reports said it was allegedly involved in money laundering while its now-chief executive Christian Sewing was head of the audit division.

Deutsche posted a second-quarter net loss of €77 million on the back of risk provisions to bolster itself against the pandemic.

Covid-19 has prompted more card and online transactions in traditionally cash-loving Germany, partly because of a desire to avoid touching notes and coins.

Card payments will surpass cash transactions for the first time in the country this year, according to research at Euromonitor International, a trend that lessens the need for brick-and-mortar bank branches.

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Which Bavaria-based companies regularly hire English speakers?

Munich ranks third in German cities with the highest total GDP, behind Berlin and Hamburg, but in terms of GDP per capita, it’s higher than both of them.

It also consistently ranks high, often highest, in terms of average household income.

As of 2023, nine of the 40 companies listed on DAX, Germany’s stock index, were based in Bavaria. Seven of those are based specifically in Munich.

While Frankfurt is commonly known to be Germany’s business capital, Munich can claim the title of Germany’s insurance capital, which is saying something, as Germany is home to some of the largest insurance firms in the world, like Allianz.

Beyond the state’s capital city, a number of international companies are based elsewhere in Bavaria, particularly in the Franken region, near Nuremberg.

Which companies actively hire English speakers?

Bavaria, and Munich in particular, is home to a number of companies at the forefront of international business. But the state is known for its traditional, sometimes conservative, culture, which affects its business culture as well.

Whereas companies embracing English as their primary business language are easy to find in Berlin, the practice is less common in the south. That said, there are some notable exceptions.

Sportswear giants, Adidas and Puma, both have their headquarters near Nuremberg in Herzogenaurach, and regularly recruit English speaking international talent.

“As an international company, our teams reflect the rich diversity of our consumers and communities,” Jon Greenhalgh, Senior Manager Media Relations for Adidas told The Local. “Fostering a culture of inclusion where we value and leverage differences, ensures that we can authentically engage with our employees and truly connect with our consumers.”

He added that around 40 per cent of Adidas’ Germany-based employees are foreign nationals, from over 100 different countries.

Siemens and BMW rank among Bavaria’s top employers, and are also known to hire their fair share of foreigners.

“In Germany, we recently had around 2,000 open positions,” Konstanze Somborn told The Local on behalf of Siemens AG.

He added that Siemens operates in 190 countries. “That is why we value international teams very much…English as a common language is very usual.”

READ ALSO: ‘Which German companies want to hire foreigners?’

Similarly, BMW hires workers from a variety of backgrounds.

“Every year, we hire lots of internationals and welcome them to the BMW Group,” Dr. Hans-Peter Ketterl, a press spokesman for BMW Group told The Local.

But not all of these positions are available to non-German speakers.

Ketterl added that BMW’s working language is German in the country, even though, “English is an indispensable entry requirement as the second corporate language in many areas of the company.”

Check job boards and follow best practices

If it’s your first time applying for jobs in Germany, make sure to change your resume to the German format, even for English positions.

While Germany is home to its own job boards, like Xing, LinkedIn is probably the best place to start. In addition to searching for positions based in your preferred location, you can check relevant groups, like Munich Startups, to broaden your horizons.

The English Jobs in Germany website is also a good resource to start with.

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