Group marks 20th anniversary

Mark Townsend

The BGL Group’s Frontline business has unveiled plans to expand across the personal lines market as the group this month celebrated 20 years in business.

BGL was formed with the launch of Budget Insurance Services in November 1992.

Back then, Budget was a direct insurer selling policies over the telephone.

Now, the firm is an intermediary brand, managed within the Frontline business alongside Dial Direct, and is still a key part of the group.

Mark Townsend, who was appointed managing director for Frontline earlier this year, has been finalising plans to enhance the brand’s position in the personal lines insurance market.

He said: “Budget is a well-established brand with a strong customer base, and we have ambitious plans to grow this business even further. Acknowledging the values and heritage established over the past 20 years is important and my team and I are committed to best serving the business’ loyal customers. We have equally strong relationships with our panel of insurers, and by continuing to meet the needs of both these important stakeholders, I am confident that we will double the size of the business over the next five years.”

Frontline plans to grow its customers across the private car, household and commercial vehicle markets. During 2012, it has invested a seven-figure sum on customer service. The changes made to Frontline’s products, fee structures and processes have been a direct response to detailed customer feedback and views.

Townsend said: “The success of Budget Insurance owes much to the strength and longevity of its relationships with its panel of insurer partners. We are striving to work very closely with insurers to align interests and generate consistent underwriting results. The group’s investment in our ‘data hub’ means that our prices are accurate and highly competitive. We are continuing to enhance our sophisticated pricing models and will be enabling customers to make changes to their policies online by the end of this year.”