Midland-based brokers join forces

Regional broker Henshalls has snapped up fellow Willis Towers Watson network firm Bayliss & Cooke.

Henshalls is headquartered in Newport, with another office in Shrewsbury employing a total of 30 staff, while Bayliss & Cooke currently employs 14 people and is based in Stafford. Henshalls managing director Mark Freeman said the firm was now able to expand into a new region.

It will now be able to extend its offer to include specialist bus, coach and minibus cover. 

In a statement, Freeman said: “We had been looking for the right acquisition for some time, and with our head office in Newport, the chance to acquire Bayliss & Cooke just down the road in Stafford is the perfect fit.”

Bayliss & Cooke has been in business for 40 years, while Henshalls was founded in 1967.