Santander Bank Polska has opened a new multi-purpose space where guests and customers have a work area and coffee shop right next to the branch. After opening in Warsaw, the Work/Café in Gdańsk is another of its kind.

Warsaw, 14 Sep 2020
‘We’re seeing our environment and customers’ needs change. Many people work project-to-project, remotely or as freelancers. According to global consulting firm Gartner, up to 30% of employees will permanently telework, while many will start to split more working hours between the office and elsewhere. We know that, in addition to professional service and high-quality products, consumers expect us to understand how they live and adapt, especially after the changes caused by the covid-19 pandemic. That’s why we’ve created a comfortable space for them to get work done in a pleasurable environment, keeping all the sanitary rules introduced during the pandemic’, explains Krzysztof Piskorski, director of Santander Bank Polska Region 1 in Gdańsk.

A year ago the bank opened its first Work/Café in the centre of Warsaw at 44 Złota Street. It is perfectly accessible by public transport and close to the main areas of the city. According to research from Cushman & Wakefield, 60% of co-working space in the capital is in the centre^[1].

The branch’s new design has excited interest in customers. They value its excellent location, in addition to its advisory services on Saturdays and rooms that can be booked for business meetings. Before the new pandemic restrictions, Work/Café hosted symposia on IT and human resources innovation, and even cultural and lifestyle events.

Co-working space also in Tricity

The new Work/Café is located at 472 Grunwaldzka Street in Gdańsk, in the well-known OLIVIA Business Centre (Olivia Gate). Its original design, combining a branch with a café and working space, came from Banco Santander Chile, which runs 55 similar spaces. Poland is one of eight countries that have these facilities.

‘Many are still teleworking, but the home isn’t always a comfortable place to work. That’s why we want to offer customers an enjoyable space to work, hold business meetings and conference calls, use multimedia rooms and office equipment, and get support from our advisers. We hope we’ll also be able to organise interesting events soon’, said Efficient Design manager Roksana Malesa-Danieluk.

Guests can enjoy a variety of items at the Work/Café. The bank ensures the quality of the coffee it serves, which is supplied by the family-run business Cophi Solutions. Coffee beans come from growers in Brazil, Colombia, Ethiopia and India, but are roasted in Poland. Customers that pay with their Santander Bank Polska cards get a 30% discount on all items in the café.

^{[1] https://www.cushmanwakefield.com/pl-pl/poland/insights/coworking-space-boom-in-poland}