RBC expands in St. John's with new retail concept store

ST. JOHN'S, Oct. 12, 2012 /CNW/ - RBC is expanding its operations in one of the fastest-growing areas in St. John's with a new RBC Retail Store. The new store, scheduled to open in July 2013, 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.

Located in the Kelsey Drive Retail Center, this new retail store is the third of its kind in Atlantic Canada and only the 38th in the country. Including the Kelsey Drive Store, RBC has 19 locations in the province, eight being in St. John's.

"Newfoundland and Labrador is a key market for RBC in Atlantic Canada and our business here has grown so much that we need to expand - which is a good problem to have," said Sean Munro, regional vice-president for Newfoundland and Labrador, RBC. "We are thrilled to be opening our first retail store in this province and to welcome eight new employees. We are anxious to showcase the new retail design, the technology, the convenience of evening and Saturday hours, and of course, our fabulous team."

RBC Retail Stores offer:

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

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

RBC has a strong presence in Newfoundland and Labrador, with more than 120,000 
clients served by its 217 employees currently working out of 18 branches, one 
Business Center and an area office. RBC also continues to be committed to the 
province through its community investment program. Last year, RBC gave over 
$400,000 to causes and charities in Newfoundland and Labrador.

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 are 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, corporate and investment banking and 
investor services 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 51 
other countries. For more information, please visit rbc.com.

Lori Smith, RBC Public Affairs, Atlantic Canada, 
902-421-4105, lori.smith@rbc.com

SOURCE: RBC

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CO: RBC Royal Bank
ST: Ontario
NI: FIN 

-0- Oct/12/2012 09:30 GMT