Scottish Building Society, celebrating its 175th anniversary, moved to the new store on 20 Fredrick Street from its previous Dalry Road location. The new site was previously occupied by Black & Lizars opticians and will increase the capacity for serving society members, allowing locals and visitors alike to discuss their financial needs.

Paul Denton, CEO at Scottish Building Society, said: “Edinburgh has been at the heart of our organisation, since our first every branch on 6 York Place over 175 years ago, so it was rather special to be able to open our new relationship centre here in the heart of the city.

“There can be no doubt that banks closing facilities across the country has impacted local communities and the most feedback we receive from our members is that having accessible, in-person facilities to discuss their finances is invaluable to them.

“Our values are driven by our membership so rather than closing branches like others within the industry, we are investing in them because we believe in the value of local high street branches.

“Online banking has changed the way many of us manage our money, but we understand that our members still value being able to discuss their financial matters face-to-face.”

Alongside the new Edinburgh relationship centre, the organisation has recently completed a round of improvements to all six its local centres.

Mr Denton continued: “This is a special year for us as we celebrate our 175th anniversary, and the launch of our new Edinburgh Relationship Centre is a great way to mark the next chapter for Scottish Building Society.

“We look forward to continuing to support our members with straightforward financial products, delivered in a friendly way.”