The scheme, which pays cash directly into eligible members’ accounts, is set to expand after Nationwide’s takeover of Virgin Money – bringing millions more people into the fold.

Around half of Virgin Money’s 6.3 million customers became Nationwide members earlier this month, including those with current accounts, savings and mortgages.

But while many will be eager to see if they qualify this year, there’s a catch: the eligibility cut-off was in March, meaning new members may miss out on the upcoming payment.

Stephen Noakes, Nationwide’s director of retail, said: “The acquisition of Virgin Money enables us to expand the benefits of mutuality, and we look forward to sharing the additional value we can create for our new members.

“From exclusive savings rates to existing member benefits, we want there to be every reason to join Britain’s biggest building society, which continues to be the UK’s most switched to current account provider.”

Key details – including exactly how much will be paid and when – will be confirmed when Nationwide announces its financial results, expected on May 21.

Recommended reading:

A statement from Nationwide clarifies: “Nationwide’s Board will decide on a Fairer Share payment for 2026 and it will depend on our financial performance.

“That assessment will be made after our financial year end, with the eligibility criteria for this year being agreed then too.

“The decision will be announced as part of our full year results in May.”

Salute has appointed Dale Harding as Managing Director for Capital Projects and Professional Services, adding a senior executive to its data centre services business.

Harding brings more than 30 years of experience in fit-out, contracting and new-build roles. He will oversee capital projects and professional services as Salute expands its work with data centre customers.

His appointment gives Salute a senior leader with a long background in construction and interiors-related businesses. The company’s clients span hyperscale, enterprise and colocation operators, and it says it works with around 80% of data centre operators globally.

Before joining Salute, Harding spent five years as Pre-Construction Director at Make One Group, where he was responsible for growth strategy, commercial and risk planning, and project development and delivery.

Earlier in his career, he held senior roles including Commercial Director at BW: Workplace Experts, Managing Director at Od (Interiors) and Managing Director at Mitie (Interiors). His background centres on project delivery, commercial oversight and client relationships across complex built-environment work.

Expansion push

The hire comes as Salute grows in EMEA, driven by demand for AI-related infrastructure and sustainable services. Both have become central to investment across the data centre sector as operators respond to rising computing needs and pressure to improve energy efficiency.

That backdrop has increased demand for companies that can support data centres through multiple stages of development and operation. Salute focuses on lifecycle services, supporting operators from construction and commissioning through to ongoing operations.

Harding’s remit reflects that market shift. Capital projects have become more prominent as developers and operators race to add capacity, while professional services are gaining importance as customers seek support with planning, risk, delivery and long-term operational requirements.

Commenting on his appointment, Harding highlighted the sector’s momentum. “In my opinion, the data center industry is just about the most exciting place to work right now,” said Dale Harding, Managing Director, Capital Projects and Professional Services, Salute. “So, to join Salute, which is defining the next generation of data centers, is an amazing opportunity.”

Acquisition effect

Salute has also been active in acquisitions over the past 18 months. Harding said those deals have strengthened the company’s position and helped shape a broader story for customers across regions.

“The acquisitions Salute has made over the last 18 months have put it in a stronger position than ever. I am excited to tell this cohesive story to our customers across the globe,” he said.

His arrival also adds senior experience in commercial planning and risk management at a time when the cost and complexity of data centre development remain under close scrutiny. New facilities require significant capital investment, while operators face pressure to build quickly despite supply chain constraints, labour availability challenges and sustainability targets.

Against that backdrop, specialist service providers are seeking deeper relationships with customers that want fewer suppliers and more integrated delivery models. Salute said Harding will help strengthen customer partnerships and improve collaboration across its global operations.

Chief Executive Officer Erich Sanchack said Harding’s background would support the company’s next phase of growth. “Dale’s experience will be invaluable for helping Salute deliver world-class end-to-end data center lifecycle solutions,” said Erich Sanchack, Chief Executive Officer, Salute. “His expertise in promoting trust between customers and the business will be instrumental as we continue to provide sustainable and comprehensive services for data centers globally.”

Poor quality address data is an issue for retailers when it comes to providing a fast and efficient delivery service, with research highlighting that 71 per cent of businesses blame delivery failures on inaccurate customer address data.

This is to be expected with 20 per cent of addresses provided online containing errors, and data on customer databases decaying at around 25 per cent a year as people move home, get divorced and pass away, according to our own findings.

Also, incorrect address data doesn’t support sustainability efforts. Expect to experience an increase in fuel consumption, and therefore expense, as couriers unsuccessfully attempt to deliver to an address that is inaccurate, and then return to sender. It costs retailers on average £11.60 (about $16) per misdelivery, although it can be considerably higher for big ticket items.

Then there’s the extra expense of correcting the address and redelivery, which results in delayed fulfilment, and overall delivers a poor customer experience which drives customer churn.

The solution is to have address cleaning processes in place, which includes address verification and cleansing, as well as obtaining geocodes to provide a smooth last mile fulfilment.  

Begin with address verification

By starting with address verification it’s possible to confirm that an address exists, is deliverable and valid. Though ascertain if the service has access to data from postal operators, otherwise it’s not possible to guarantee the address is real, exists or is usable for fulfilment. Using postal operator data correct, standardised addresses are obtained, which as well as speeding up deliveries supports optimised routing which leads to reduced miles driven per delivery, with lower fuel consumption and emissions.

Avoid using Google Maps or a search engine to check the accuracy of addresses, because they don’t usually have access to postal operator data.

When it comes to international logistics address verification is even more important, because each country has its own address format which can cause logistics and fulfilment issues if the address is not correctly standardised and validated.

Address lookup / autocomplete

Address lookup and autocomplete services support address verification at the customer onboarding stage. These tools automatically provide the correct address when the customer begins typing theirs. This helps to avoid errors caused by fat finger syndrome, speeds up the path to checkout, thereby reducing the risk of cart abandonment, while supporting a standout customer experience. 

Similar technology enables real time verification of email and phone data at first contact, strengthening these critical datasets.

Data cleansing and deceased flagging

A vital part of the data cleaning process is data suppression or data cleansing. These services clean address data and help to standardise address formats, as well as highlight those customers who are no longer at an address.

Having access to the National Change of Address (NCOA) database is an essential part of this approach. Available in the UK and US, and some other countries, it highlights those who have moved, and provides their new address. By having quick access to the new addresses of customers who have changed residence retailers will be able to maintain a speedy and accurate fulfilment process.

In addition to removing incorrect addresses data cleansing services should include deceased flagging. This helps to avoid sending mail and other communications to the deceased, sparing their friends and relatives unnecessary distress.

Consider a data-cleaning SaaS platform

Delivering data quality in real time has never been easier. A scalable data-cleaning SaaS platform can be deployed within hours and, as a standalone solution, requires no coding, integration, or extensive training to use. This technology can cleanse and standardise names, addresses, email addresses and phone numbers worldwide using authoritative data sources from government agencies, credit bureaus and utility providers. It can do so as new data is being collected, and with held data in batch on-premise. Such a platform is not only available as a SaaS, but can also be accessed as a cloud-based API, and via connector technology like Microsoft Dynamics and Salesforce.

Geocoding for delivery accuracy

Once you have an accurate address use geocoding technology to turn it into a geocode. This is important because with latitude and longitude (rooftop level) coordinates delivery to the customer is swift. This level of insight is crucial, particularly when different properties may share an address, such as a plot of land or the street edge of a driveway.

With different conventions for address formats around the world geocoding is valuable when it comes to global deliveries. For example, while the UK uses city, street and house number, in Japan buildings are referenced by the number of the block they belong to, and within each block buildings are numbered as well. Sometimes it’s done by order of construction, so the numbers don’t necessarily follow each other.

In summary

It is time to ensure that misdeliveries, which are costly in monetary and customer experience terms, become a thing of the past. This requires putting processes in place that deliver accurate customer address data at both the customer onboarding stage and held data in batch. It’s something that’s straightforward and cost effective to implement.