Bank News

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With ideas borrowed from Wal-Mart,
State Bank & Trust in Tulsa reinvents itself
as a financial services retailer

t is in the genes. Once a retailer always a retailer. So it is not surprising, then, that the Waltons of Wal-Mart fame are adapting techniques that have made their superstores so successful in the family's banking operations in Arkansas and Oklahoma.
   Recently, their Arvest Bank Group set out to build a prototype facility for its State Bank & Trust in Tulsa with a design that could be adapted in other new construction or remodeling projects.
   According to Architect Steve Morrill, three major components make up the State Bank & Trust facility.
The entry was designed with a strong retail image that incorporates signage on three sides. The two sides of the entry can be in-filled for additional office space if needed at minimal cost. A canvas canopy was incorporated to give customers the convenience of added protection from the weather.
The interior was designed with a simple plan of perimeter dry-wall offices. The lobby and waiting area is in the middle. The skylight allows natural light that has been known to increase retail sales and boost spirits. A back-to-back teller drive-through was
designed to reduce staff and raise efficiency. The exterior was designed to incorporate large retail banners on both sides, which captures more point-of-sales area.
The drive-through was designed with a head-on approach, which allows easier eye contact between customers and tellers. Large, lighted signs surround the canopy on three sides and an electronic message board over the teller line is another point-of-sale area.
   Morrill's firm, SLM & Associates, has offices in Carthage, Mo., and Fayetteville, Ark.

 

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