The new and highly anticipated Santander Work Cafe opens next week at Market Hall alongside much loved bakers Noa.

It’s a completely new concept for the island, combining a working space and free-to-hire meeting rooms with banking facilities and Noa coffee and food. James Geldart and Natalie Radford from Santander International tell us more.

Natalie says: ‘It’s super cool, totally unique and very exciting. I think people are going to struggle to figure it out until they can come in and actually see it, and see what we’re offering, and see that it is all open to everybody.’

For people in the Isle of Man who have never encountered the Santander Work Cafe concept, it’s not ‘the Eagle Lab on steroids’.

James says: ‘It’s the natural comparison: we would say it’s very different but it’s the only comparison you can really make in the island.’

Santander opened their first work cafe in South America.

James explains: ‘The first one was in Chile and the idea came from having large populations of people in high-rise buildings. To put a work cafe into the ground floor gave people a place to come and work, and co-work, and the fact that they could have interactions with their bank and a coffee at the same time seemed to fit quite well.

‘The concept was rolled out across the whole group and we’ve got them in many different countries now, including two in the UK, and there are plans to expand that because it just helps to reach a different audience of people who never ever go into banks these days, they use online and apps instead.

‘It’s engaging with people and the community before you’re asking them to do anything with you.’

Natalie adds: ‘It’s changing the banking experience for people, making it a more personal, easy place to come in and do your banking and a more personal experience.’

She and James, along with Miles and Pippa Pettit from Noa and other people involved with the project, have all been to Jersey to visit the Santander Work Cafe there. This was opened in St Helier’s main shopping area and has quickly become a hugely popular feature in the town.

James says: ‘We all went to the one in Jersey because you can’t explain it until you actually walk in and go: “Actually I understand it now.”’

Natalie says: ‘It’s changed the high street in Jersey. People are in it all the time and I can see why Market Hall was chosen as the venue here: it fits within the same kind of vibe and Noa also has a great reputation and a great following already.

‘It works for Noas and for everybody involved and it’s going to be a good combination.’

As well as the cafe with workspace and free WiFi there are meeting rooms which you can book online. The meeting rooms are all free to book and the coffee is heavily discounted if you pay using a Santander International bank card.

There is also an events space with a large screen which is ideal for presentations by charities, community groups or small businesses.

James says: ‘In Jersey recently they had a small business lawyer presenting to entrepreneurs and the next week it was the Government talking about Net Zero plans.’

He adds: ‘It’s a very collaborative space on a number of levels, so people go in there to work with one another, or meet and have a coffee and a chat, and it’s also for businesses to get together and talk to each other.’

From a banking perspective, Natalie says: ‘We’re going to be readily available to see anyone. There’s always going to be two personal bankers, two mortgage specialists, the work cafe manager and myself, so there’s six of us available at any given time to speak to people if they need it.

‘We can also set them up with online banking and telephone banking, which just makes it a little bit more pleasant: you’re not sent off to try and muddle your way through and do it all by yourself, we’ll be there to help you.’

James adds: ‘It gives people more time to talk to us and tell us what they really want and need from us. Some people are very nervous about online banking due to frauds whereas this gives us a space where we can run some presentations to help them become more confident at things like online banking.

‘The work cafe is completely designed for people to come in and talk to each other and talk to our staff.’

l The Santander Work Cafe officially opens next Tuesday ( May 9) but Noa will be opening there on Monday, May 8 and anyone wanting a sneak preview can go along and have a tour around.

The Noa coffee shop will be open at the work cafe at its usual hours, which are 8am till 2.30pm, but the work cafe will stay open till 5pm and you will still be able to get coffee and grab and go food.