Metro Bank Leeds store confirmed for Commercial Street, due 2027, as challenger bank bucks high street closure trend

Metro Bank has signed a lease for a new Metro Bank Leeds store on Commercial Street in the city centre, making Leeds the latest city in the bank’s northern expansion. The 2,000 sq ft branch, sitting in the heart of Leeds’ retail core and adding to the city’s financial services sector. Metro Bank says it is the only UK high street bank currently opening new stores — a direct counter to the wave of closures that has seen the traditional banks retreat from city centres and high streets across the country.

A Deliberate Northern Expansion at Metro Bank Leeds and Beyond

The Leeds store is part of a broader push into the North. Metro Bank opened three new stores in 2025 — Chester, Salford, and Gateshead, which is expected to open later this year. The bank currently operates 78 locations and has said it believes it could grow to as many as 120. The expansion comes off the back of strong financial results.

“We’re continuing to grow our store model, offering personal and business customers more places to bank at a time when others are shutting their doors. Our relationship banking service is at the heart of everything we do. We’re proud to deepen our presence in more communities through our local colleagues, events and partnerships. Our new stores will help us to support more customers and provide vital access to finance for businesses of all sizes.”

— Aisling Kane, Managing Director of Retail and Business Banking, Metro Bank

Why this matters for Leeds

While other banks are closing branches across the city, Metro Bank is signing a lease and committing to a physical presence on Commercial Street. For Leeds’ SME community in particular, this matters — Metro Bank has been aggressively growing its business and commercial lending, and a local store with relationship banking staff is a different proposition from a call centre or app..