The Banque Nationale pour le Commerce et l’Industrie turns towards the modern reception desk, Bourg-La-Reine branch in 1965
This photo from 1965 shows the 60s version of the Banque Nationale pour le Commerce et l’Industrie (BNCI) branch in Bourg-La-Reine, in the Paris suburbs. In the customer reception room, 4 chairs are laid out around two round occasional tables equipped with pens. This customer waiting area faces the counter and the teller protected by a totally enclosed glass cage. The teller communicates with the clientele via a talk-through baffle, a type of wicket interphone.
A changing network
Starting in the 1960s, the Banque Nationale pour le Commerce et l’Industrie modernises its network. The objective? Always do a better job of meeting customer needs and to improve their comfort, we then speak of the “sit-down bank”. This involves the total transformation of the interior decorations of agencies. Light coloured wall and floor coverings replace the wood, while neon lighting replaces the old brass lamps. The counters and grated dividers are replaced by offices. Likewise, the facades are changed to open large bay windows and let more light into the agencies. Moreover, between 1950 and 1965, the BNCI strengthened its presence in and around the capital. It went from 33 to 80 bank branches. This movement amplified starting in 1967 with the elimination of regulations concerning the opening of bank branches.
Consequently, new agencies were opened in Antony, Chatenay-Malabry, Epinay-les-Cygne d’Enghien, Saint-Ouen, Villetaneuse and Créteil in the Paris suburbs and the Latin Quarter, Boulevard Exelmans and Cité des Arts in the Capital.
Photo of Studio Chevojon
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