Hastings Insurance

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Hastings Group Holdings
Public limited company
Traded as LSE: HSTG
Industry Insurance
Founded 1997
Headquarters Bexhill-on-Sea, East Sussex, United Kingdom
Key people
 Mike Fairey, (Chairman)
Gary Hoffman, (CEO)
Revenue £481.0 million (2015)[1]
£126.1 million (2015)[1]
£2.3 million (2015)[1]
Website www.hastingsplc.com

Hastings Insurance is a UK personal lines insurance broker servicing customers online, by phone and by branch. The company provides car, bike, van and home insurance, as well as a range of ancillary products and services such as breakdown cover, personal accident, substitute vehicle and key and legal cover. It is listed on the London Stock Exchange and is a constituent of the FTSE 250 Index.

History

The company was established, based on business plan prepared by David Gundlach and Andrew Bowen, as "Hastings Direct" in 1997.[2] It was acquired by Insurance Australia Group in 2006[3] and then by its management in 2009.[4] In 2011 the company announced that 150 new posts would be created, with the first 60 to be recruited in January in the Bexhill, Hastings, Eastbourne, Brighton and Hove areas.[5] Goldman Sachs acquired a 50% interest in the company in 2013.[6] The company was the subject of an initial public offering in October 2015.[6]

Operations

Conquest House at Bexhill-on-Sea, Head Office of Hastings Insurance

The company trades under the Hastings Direct, Hastings Premier, Hastings Essential, SmartMiles, People's Choice and insurePink brands.[7][8]

In 2012, the company launched a usage-based insurance product under the Hastings Direct SmartMiles brand. The SmartMiles product requires a telematics device to be fitted to the insured vehicle.[9]

The company is known for its mascot, Harry Hastings, an animated figure dressed in armour from the Battle of Hastings in 1066.[10]

Based in Bexhill-on-Sea, the company is one of the largest employers on the South Coast. The company also has a second call centre in Newmarket, Suffolk and has recently opened a third call centre in Leicester.[11]

Sponsorship

The company sponsored the Eastbourne International tennis tournament between 2003[12] and 2007[13] in a deal worth £350,000 per year.[14]

References

  1. 1 2 3 "Preliminary Results for year ended 31 December 2015". Hastings Insurance. Retrieved 9 April 2016.
  2. ↑ "Hastings Van Insurance". Customer Care. Retrieved 6 December 2015.
  3. ↑ "Selfless Portrait: Man Leaves $150M to City of Elkhart". Indianapolis Monthly. Retrieved 11 August 2014.
  4. ↑ "Hastings and Advantage MBO team speak out". www.postonline.co.uk. Retrieved 11 August 2014.
  5. ↑ "Hastings Direct creates 150 jobs". The Recruiter. 2011. Retrieved 6 December 2015.
  6. 1 2 "Hastings shares trade below IPO price". 12 October 2015. Retrieved 6 December 2015.
  7. ↑ "Hastings Direct".
  8. ↑ "People's Choice".
  9. ↑ "Hastings Direct gives details of telematics trial | Latest News | Insurance Times". m.insurancetimes.co.uk. Retrieved 2016-01-29.
  10. ↑ "Harry Hastings and Stephen Seagull return in Hastings Direct TV ad series". The Drum. 6 March 2015. Retrieved 6 December 2015.
  11. ↑ "Hastings Direct set to grow workforce in Leicester". Leicester Mercury. 6 May 2015. Retrieved 6 December 2015.
  12. ↑ "Hastings Direct signs two-year tennis sponsorship deal". BrandRepublic. 10 March 2003. Retrieved 20 June 2011.
  13. ↑ "Hastings Direct quits as Ladies' Tennis Sponsor". Eastbourne Herald. 2 February 2007. Retrieved 20 June 2011.
  14. ↑ "Tennis bosses serve blow to Eastbourne". The Angus. 25 June 2007. Retrieved 20 June 2011.

External links

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