GUILDERLAND — In October, Pioneer Bank bought the lots containing its 1883 Western Ave. branch as well as the property next to it, 1881 Western Ave., a former Price Chopper that was renovated years ago into office space. The total purchase price for the two lots was $5 million.

The land was purchased on Oct. 10 from GGMP LLC, a holding company of Amedore Homes.

The two lots were formerly one; the 3.9-acre property was subdivided into two separate lots just a year ago. The subdivision was done at Pioneer Bank’s request, said Frank Sarratori, who is the company’s executive vice president, chief administrative officer, and general counsel, before Pioneer decided that it made more sense to buy both properties.

The office building at 1881 Western Ave. has some empty space “that we may utilize in the near future,” Sarratori said.

One reason why the company wanted to make the purchase was to give it a “cushion,” he said, in case the company is able to expand enough that it needs additional space beyond its headquarters at the corner of Wolf and Albany-Shaker roads.

Pioneer believes in its branch system, said Sarratori; what that means, he explained, is that the company believes there will always be a need for brick-and-mortar stores because customers “very much enjoy coming into our branches.”

The company, which got its start about 120 years ago, is updating the look and feel of its branches, he said, with an interior that is more sleek and contemporary.

Branches that have already been renovated and updated include the Wolf Road, Clifton Park East, East Greenbush, and Glenmont branches.

In addition to aesthetic changes, there will also be more technology introduced. The new branch will include “teller pods,” which Sarratori said are oval-shaped areas with a “recycler” in the middle and a teller on either side; each teller can help one customer, and the machine between them does much of the work of a traditional teller — counting, sorting, and calculating. This provides greater speed for the customer and greater security for the staff, he said.

Renovated branches also have ATMs that can also function as “ITMs,” or interactive teller machines: Customers who push a button to choose the interactive function can see on the screen and talk with an employee in the bank’s call center, who can answer questions or help with transactions.

Pioneer Bank has 22 branches in the Capital District. Of those, Guilderland’s is the fifth that the company has purchased.