Finance company NCR Atleos has just published research showing what it calls a symbiotic relationship between retailers and financial services, as changes to traditional cash infrastructure see ”retailers take on a greater role in how consumers access and manage cash,” it said.
Drawing on more than 300k responses across 4,646 UK ATMs, the research found that offering such machines influences repeat visits, with more than half (56%) of those surveyed saying they visit a shop more often if it has one. 76% of shoppers are more likely to return and 63% regularly use the same machine.
These visits can unsurprsingly translate into spending. Over a third (37%) said they would spend the cash they withdrew in the store it was withdrawn from, while 31% said withdrawing cash actually leads them to spend more.
Applied to the £1.35bn total dispensed across 5,300 NCR Atleos ATMs in major convenience stores and supermarkets in June 2026 alone, that suggests around £499.5m was spent in-store, underlining the commercial value of having an ATM on the premises.
Physical retail
Neil Martin, MD at NCR Atleos for the UK, Ireland, Benelux, Baltics and Nordics, said: “Physical retail has always been about more than the transaction at the till. An ATM isn’t simply a piece of equipment in the corner of a store. It’s the connective tissue between consumers, retailers and local services.
”That creates an important role for retailers, both in meeting a genuine customer need and supporting the economics of the store.
“As deposit-capable ATMs become more widely available, these locations can support not only consumers accessing cash, but businesses looking for convenient ways to deposit takings.
”The retail estate is already one of the UK’s most important pieces of physical infrastructure. How far that role extends into financial services will be an important shift to watch over the next few years.”
Extra convenience
Having an ATM in a convenience store, supermarket or forecourt location rings added convenience for consumers, Atleos’ new data also shows. 80% said they specifically visited specifically to withdraw cash, while 39% said withdrawing cash forms part of their shopping trip and 82% said having an ATM was convenient for their shopping.
In fact, the role access to cash plays extends beyond just individual retailers, with 83% saying their local area would be worse off without the ATM.
As deposit services develop alongside withdrawals, retail locations have the potential to become increasingly important points where cash both enters and leaves the system, serving consumers and small businesses while making better use of places people already visit.
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