Acquired businesses plotting expansion this year

gallagher's new bournemouth office

Arthur J Gallagher has moved four of its direct and specialist divisions under one roof, creating its largest base outside London.

More than 300 employees of Gallagher Insurance Solutions, led by managing director Des O’Connor, have moved into a 23,000 sq ft office in Bournemouth.

The businesses that have moved are apartment block specialist Deacon, over-50s personal lines Insure4Retirement, medical charity affinity specialist Charity Solutions and surety bond arranger Deputy Bond Services.

The move into the building, known locally as the Wedding Cake, is the biggest office let in the south-coast town since 2008.

Gallagher bought Deacon and Deputy Bond Services in May, as part of the acquisition of Barbon’s property and commercial business.

It acquired Charity Solutions as part of the Heath Lambert takeover in 2011 and bought a majority stake in IDL, which trades as Insure4Retirement in 2012. Three senior managers at IDL left the company earlier this year.

The four customer-facing businesses will share central services including on-site product development, pricing and IT teams, as well as specialists in customer acquisition and retention strategy.

Des O’Connor, managing director of Gallagher Insurance Solutions, said: “Having spent the past two years building our business by selective acquisition, recruiting top talent and planning our path of expansion, 2014 is all about delivery.  Our new ‘super centre’ in Bournemouth provides the ideal platform to execute our ambitious growth strategy.”

Gallagher now employs more than 3,100 people in the UK.