The fight to save Penzance’s Lloyds Bank branch, led by local independent furniture store owner and member of the Association of Independent Stores (AIS), Sue Calvert of Alfred Smith and Son, has escalated into a national call to action for the retail trade.

The campaign highlights the critical threat that widespread bank closures pose to the viability of High Streets across the UK.

Alfred Smith and Son, a respected Penzance retailer, has banked with Lloyds for over a century. Sue Calvert is challenging the bank’s decision to close its branch on January 21st, 2026, particularly as the bank had only signed a two-year lease just three days before the announcement.

“Relationships are built over time to have an understanding of their customers,” says Sue Calvert. “Lloyds’ decision is abandoning independent retail and those many years of trust between two businesses. As retailers, we all know this is a critical time to make our collective voice heard. The closure of banks directly impacts the viability of our High Streets.”

More Than a Single Branch

The campaign, though focused on Penzance, is now positioned as a stand against a potentially dramatic reduction in banking access across Cornwall and a warning for the future of High Streets nationwide.

Sue is working closely with her local MP, Andrew George, and the CEO of the British Independent Retailers Association (BIRA), Andrew Goodacre, but is now calling directly on the furniture trade and their extensive retail networks to amplify the message.

Call to Action: How the Furniture and Retail Trade Can Support the Campaign

Sue Calvert and the Alfred Smith and Son campaign are urging retailers and industry leaders to take immediate action to make this fight “as uncomfortable as possible for Lloyds Bank to force a reconsideration”:

• Amplify the Campaign to Your Networks: If your constituency is affected by a Lloyds closure (see the list below), please contact the Penzance campaign to coordinate efforts. 38 constituencies are involved.
• MP Coordination: Get your local MP to contact Penzance MP Andrew George, who is coordinating a growing cross-party collection of MPs in this lobbying effort.
• Lobbying Campaign: Contact Andrew Goodacre at BIRA (andrew.goodacre@bira.co.uk) so that he can integrate this into a larger, national lobbying campaign on behalf of independent retailers.

Is Your business affected? Forthcoming Lloyds Branch Closures (Includes January 2026 dates):