Hastings Insurance
Hastings Insurance Services Ltd (LSE: HSTG) is a UK personal lines insurance broker servicing customers online and by phone. 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 part of the Hastings Group, a UK public limited company which is listed on the London Stock Exchange and is a constituent of the FTSE 250 Index.
Public limited company | |
Traded as | LSE: HSTG |
Industry | Insurance |
Founded | 1997 |
Headquarters | Bexhill-on-Sea, East Sussex, United Kingdom |
Key people | Gary Hoffman, (Chairman) Tobias van der Meer, (CEO) |
Revenue | £741.3 million (2019)[1] |
£109.7 million (2019)[1] | |
£69.7 million (2019)[1] | |
Website | www |
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
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]
Insurance policies provided by the company are issued by Advantage Insurance Company Limited, a Gibraltar based company.[10]
The company is known for its mascot, Harry Hastings, an animated figure dressed in armour from the Battle of Hastings in 1066.[11] 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 Leicester.[12]
Toby van der Meer became the CEO of Hastings Group on 1 March 2018. The previous CEO, Gary Hoffman, became non-executive chairman.[13]
Sponsorship
The company sponsored the Eastbourne International tennis tournament between 2003[14] and 2007[15] in a deal worth £350,000 per year.[16]
References
- "Preliminary Results 2019". Hastings Insurance. Retrieved 3 March 2020.
- "Hastings Van Insurance". Customer Care. Retrieved 6 December 2015.
- "Selfless Portrait: Man Leaves $150M to City of Elkhart". Indianapolis Monthly. Retrieved 11 August 2014.
- "Hastings and Advantage MBO team speak out". www.postonline.co.uk. Retrieved 11 August 2014.
- "Hastings Direct creates 150 jobs". The Recruiter. 2011. Retrieved 6 December 2015.
- "Hastings shares trade below IPO price". 12 October 2015. Retrieved 6 December 2015.
- "Hastings Direct".
- "People's Choice".
- "Hastings Direct gives details of telematics trial | Latest News | Insurance Times". m.insurancetimes.co.uk. Retrieved 2016-01-29.
- "WireNews: Hastings Insurance Uses Advantage in EU Regulations to Sell Insurance in the UK".
- "Harry Hastings and Stephen Seagull return in Hastings Direct TV ad series". The Drum. 6 March 2015. Retrieved 6 December 2015.
- "Hastings Direct set to grow workforce in Leicester". Leicester Mercury. 6 May 2015. Retrieved 6 December 2015.
- "Hastings revamps top management". Insurance Times. Retrieved 2018-03-23.
- "Hastings Direct signs two-year tennis sponsorship deal". BrandRepublic. 10 March 2003. Retrieved 20 June 2011.
- "Hastings Direct quits as Ladies' Tennis Sponsor". Eastbourne Herald. 2 February 2007. Retrieved 20 June 2011.
- "Tennis bosses serve blow to Eastbourne". The Angus. 25 June 2007. Retrieved 20 June 2011.