Swinton Insurance
Template:Short description Template:EngvarB Template:Use dmy dates Script error: No such module "Infobox".Template:Template otherScript error: No such module "Check for conflicting parameters".Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters".
Swinton Insurance Ltd is a UK insurance retailer that was established in 1957.[1][2] The company offers a range of insurance products from a panel of UK insurers covering car, bike, home, commercial, taxi and caravan insurance.[3]
History
Swinton was founded in 1957 by Ken Scowcroft (born 1928[4]) who began the car insurance brokerage business from the front room of his semi-detached house in Swinton, Greater Manchester.[5] in the first year, he sold around 100 policies to local people.[6]
.JPG){kind=link}
The first branch was opened in 1964 in Salford, and the branch network originally expanded in the Manchester region before it expanded throughout the North West of England.[7] It was then merged with Denbury Insurance owned by Brian Blake, retaining the Swinton Insurance name. The company became the first insurance franchise and the first to introduce a computer quotations system, which is now common in major UK insurers.[8] In 1981, Ken Scowcroft's son, Brian Scowcroft, joined the business and worked in a number of different roles including Finance Director[9] before being appointed Joint Chief executive in 1985.[10]
In 1988 Swinton was sold to Sun Alliance[11] for £130m[12] and in 2001 it changed hands again when it was acquired by MMA Holdings UK Plc.,[13] which is, in turn, owned by Covéa SGAM (Société de Group d'Assurance Mutuelle).
In 2002, The Swinton Insurance Group acquired the specialist caravan and motorhome insurer, Safeguard,[14] and in 2004, it acquired Manchester based insurance group Deansgate Insurance.[15]
By 2008, Swinton had become the third largest insurance retailer in the UK, and the largest in Northern Ireland, managing over three million individual car, home and life insurance policies.[16] Their position in the Northern Ireland market was further bolstered with the acquisition of Open + Direct in 2009.[17]
The Swinton Insurance Group continued their UK-wide acquisition strategy in 2012 with the purchase of Greys Insurance in Burnley.[18] In 2013, they then purchased Stroud based insurers Alexander James Commercial[19] before agreeing a deal to buy the general insurance book of North Wales-based Anderson Insurance Services in 2014[20] and the Cleethorpes based C H Turner Insurance Consultants.[21]
Chief executive Christophe Bardet stepped down at the end of December 2014 and was succeeded by Gilles Normand, formerly the CEO of MMA Holdings UK Plc.[22] Gilles Normand stepped down as CEO in October 2018 and was replaced by Scott Kennedy as Managing Director.[23]
Ardonagh Group purchased Swinton in September 2018 for £165million.[24]
Advertising
Swinton Insurance was the first insurance broker to advertise on UK television in the 1960s.[25] In the 1980s, Swinton ran television commercials featuring a 'Man with Big Glasses'.[26]
In the 1990s, Swinton Insurance ran a television commercial campaign featuring characters from the television programme Thunderbirds.[27][28]
Other commercials have featured Emmerdale actor John Middleton[29] and the animated television characters of The Flintstones.[30]
Controversy
In 2009, Swinton was fined £770,000 by the Financial Services Authority (FSA) for mis-selling payment protection insurance (PPI) policies.[31] In July 2013, Swinton was fined £7.4m by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) in relation to sales of monthly insurance products sold by telephone between April 2010 and April 2012.[32]
Chief executive Christophe Bardet stated that Swinton had notified these problems to the Financial Services Authority in March 2012 and co-operated fully with the FCA. Swinton acknowledged its shortcomings in its sales practices during the specific period in question, and the company unreservedly apologised to customers.[33] After instigating a full review of the business after his appointment in December 2011, Bardet announced a comprehensive transformation of the business with a three-year, £75m investment programme.
In May 2014, Swinton Insurance was criticised by Welsh Language Commissioner[34] Meri Huws for banning call centre staff from using Welsh when discussing details of financial products with Welsh-speaking customers in Wales.[35]
References
<templatestyles src="Reflist/styles.css" />
- ↑ Swinton Insurance Page on their formation and history
- ↑ Swinton staff and Branch numbers
- ↑ Swinton Insurance Product Offering from Bloomberg's Company Profile
- ↑ Kenneth Scowcroft year of birth
- ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- ↑ Swinton History and cost of original insurance policy and amount sold
- ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- ↑ MEN article on the history of Swinton Insurance
- ↑ Link to information on Brian Scowcroft
- ↑ The Guardian Interview with Brian Scowcroft
- ↑ Swinton's sale to Sun Alliance headed by Brian Blake
- ↑ Evening News confirmation of Swinton Sale figure
- ↑ Acquisition of Swinton Insurance in 2001 by MMA
- ↑ Swinton Insurance details of Safeguard acquisition
- ↑ Manchester Evening News report on acquisition of Deansgate Insurance
- ↑ Details of Swinton's growth by 2008
- ↑ Details of Swinton acquiring Open + Direct Insurance
- ↑ Swinton Insurance acquire Greys Insurance
- ↑ Acquisition of Alexander James Insurance
- ↑ Swinton Insurance Acquisition of Anderson Insurance Services
- ↑ Acquisition of CH Turner in Cleethorpes
- ↑ Insurance Age article on new CEO appointment at Swinton Insurance
- ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- ↑ Swinton insurance first UK insurance broker to advertise on TV
- ↑ Man with big glasses TV advert on YouTube
- ↑ Swinton Thunderbirds Commercial on YouTube
- ↑ Swinton Brains TV commercial on YouTube
- ↑ YouTube link for TV advert featuring John Middleton
- ↑ YouTube advert for Swinton featuring The Flintstones
- ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- ↑ The Journal article on Swinton insurance fines and customer apology
- ↑ Welsh Language Commissioner's findings
- ↑ Swinton criticised by Welsh Speaking Commissioner
Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters".
External links
- Script error: No such module "Official website".Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters".