Work Café Isle of Man - A global concept for a local community

Whether you’re looking for a place to meet or work, somewhere to host an event, or for face-to-face banking services in a vibrant central location, the new Santander Work Café offers something for everyone in the community 

You may have heard of the new Santander Work Café in Douglas. If not, then the next time you visit Market Hall, you will be in for a pleasant surprise. Santander International has worked with Noa to expand its popular café, and following months of restoration, the 120-year-old building on North Quay has a new lease of life. 

The Work Café offers free bookable meeting rooms, and accessible co-working spaces with free Wi-Fi, open to everyone, alongside new banking facilities. Santander International customers can also meet banking staff in the building, open and manage accounts and mortgages, and withdraw money using ATMs. 

Since the first Santander Work Café opened in Chile in 2016, the concept has become a global phenomenon, with over 100 Work Cafés now operating around the world. The Santander Work Café Isle of Man is the bank’s third Work Café in the British Isles and one of its largest, building on the success of branches in Leeds and Jersey.  

The Santander Work Café’s new Director, Natalie Radford, said: “The Work Café is a place where everyone is welcome whether you bank with Santander International or not.  Facilities are open to all the community, creating a new, forward-thinking space where people from all generations can meet, work, grab a coffee, or attend an event.” 

Face-to-Face banking services 

While digital banking is increasingly popular, face-to-face services remain important for many customers and provide a point of contact for transactions such as mortgage applications, business loans, or for resolving more complex issues. The Work Café is a great place to meet relationship managers in a relaxed setting, while bank staff can provide guidance and help customers who may struggle with online or mobile banking platforms. 

The Work Café team includes colleagues from Santander International’s Prospect Hill branch which is now closed. Natalie is joined by Andrea Callow, the new Work Café Manager, and Gemma Curtis and Imogen Quirk who have taken on new roles as Work Café Personal Bankers. Natalie said: “For many customers Andrea will be a familiar face as she was previously Branch Manager at Prospect Hill. Along with key mortgage and banking staff, Andrea has moved from Prospect Hill to Market Hall, our new home for Santander International in the Isle of Man. It’s a wonderful new working environment for staff and should be the first port of call for customers.” 

Hosting community events 

The Work Café provides new opportunities for networking and collaboration, drawing people from different professions into one dynamic environment.  Work Cafés in the British Isles have hosted a wide variety of events, from health and wellbeing seminars to book launches, marketing masterclasses and technology conferences, with charities, individuals, companies, and governmental organisations. Natalie is developing a programme of events for the Isle of Man, offering Work Café facilities to community groups, small businesses, and entrepreneurs.  

Within a few days of opening, the Work Café hosted its first events, a series of ‘lunch and learn’ sessions with Isle Listen for Mental Health Awareness Week. Natalie Cellamare, a Mental Health Training Manager from Isle Listen, said: “Being in the heart of Douglas the Work Café is accessible with plenty of parking and is near the bus depot. The easy-going vibe in the café was relaxing and we hope to use the Work Café again for celebration days and to connect with the community, helping us raise awareness about mental health and how we can support each other.”

Co-working spaces and meeting rooms

For entrepreneurs and freelancers, flexibility is important when finding somewhere to work or meet. The Work Café offers free bookable meeting rooms, perfect for catching up with clients, and accessible co-working spaces with free Wi-Fi. Meeting rooms are equipped with 40-inch screens which connect directly to Zoom and have HDMI TV cables making it easy to join meetings and collaborate with co-workers anywhere in the world. 

The concept is already proving a hit with customers. Damien Corcoran, CEO of Grandiose Supermarket and Founding Member of WXO, recently returned to the Isle of Man from Dubai, said: “I needed somewhere to work and have drop-in meetings and the Work Cafe serves that purpose perfectly. It has a similar feel to co-working spaces I have used overseas and has the benefit of the high-quality coffee and food from Noa. I’m a fan of Noa, so had eaten in Market Hall before the space was reimagined. I knew the food and coffee were extremely good, so returning here to be able to use the space to work was a no brainer.”