RBC expands in Upper Tantallon with new retail store

HALIFAX, April 23, 2013 /CNW/ - RBC has expanded its operations in one of the fastest growing areas in Halifax with a new RBC Retail Store. Located at 5280 St. Margaret's Bay Rd. in Upper Tantallon, this new retail store is the sixth of its kind in Halifax. With the Upper Tantallon store, RBC now has 18 stores in the Halifax Regional Municipality and 114 across Atlantic Canada.

The new store offers a fresh take on the bank branch experience with interactive advice areas, "touch" or surface screen technology, and a more open area for customers. It is designed to support the customer's "life events" such as purchasing a home or saving for retirement, offering solutions to help clients make sound financial decisions.

"Upper Tantallon seems to be growing bigger by the day and we are thrilled to provide the area with a unique client experience to support their financial decisions," said Glen Dormody, RBC's regional vice-president for Metro Halifax. "The reaction from the residents has been overwhelmingly positive, we are receiving tons of fantastic feedback from new and existing clients alike. They love the new retail store, the technology, the convenience of evening and Saturday hours, and of course, the always helpful RBC team."

RBC Retail Stores offer:

• A casual atmosphere where clients can ask questions or gather information on their own and get personal tailor-made advice
• State of the art interactive technology to help clients get answers to the financial questions they find important
• Increased staff interaction to assist clients with their banking needs
• Events and seminars for all clients and members of the community

Upper Tantallon customers have access to a full team of mobile professionals including small business bankers, commercial bankers, financial planners, investment and retirement planners, and mortgage specialists.

To celebrate the opening, RBC is making a $2,500 donation to each location of the St. Margaret's Bay Food Bank and Street Connections, a local mobile kitchen focused on feeding homeless youth in the Halifax area.

"This is our way of marking this special occasion and giving back to the community that has so enthusiastically supported us," said Karen Corney, manager of RBC's Upper Tantallon store. "We invite everyone to participate in our grand opening celebrations on Saturday, June 29 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., at 5280 St. Margaret's Bay Road at the intersection of Peggy's Cove Road."

RBC has the largest branch and ATM network and the strongest geographic reach from coast to coast with over 1,200 branches - 17 per cent more than the closest competing financial institution - and 4,227 ATMs across the country. The newly designed retail stores are part of RBC's commitment to evolving its branch network into a best in class retail store and advice centre by addressing clients' four key needs: service, advice, access and convenience, and value for money.

ABOUT RBC
Royal Bank of Canada (RY on TSX and NYSE) and its subsidiaries operate under the master brand name RBC. We are Canada's largest bank as measured by assets and market capitalization, and among the largest banks in the world, based on market capitalization. We are one of North America's leading diversified financial services companies, and provide personal and commercial banking, wealth management services, insurance, investor services and wholesale banking on a global basis. We employ approximately 80,000 full- and part-time employees who serve more than 15 million personal, business, public sector and institutional clients through offices in Canada, the U.S. and 49 other countries. For more information, please visit rbc.com.

RBC supports a broad range of community initiatives through donations, sponsorships and employee volunteer activities. In 2012, we contributed more than $95 million to causes worldwide, including donations and community investments of more than $64 million and $31 million in sponsorships.

SOURCE: RBC Royal Bank

Trish Vardy, RBC Public Affairs, Atlantic Canada, 902 421-4105, [email protected]