Gallagher invests in Brierley Hill

It follows a sustained period of business growth and will enable the branch to accommodate its expanding team and achieve future strategic development plans to provide support to UK small and medium-sized enterprises.

It was already employing 105 people at Admiral House on The Waterfront.

Gallagher has now taken and refurbished two floors in nearby Custom House to house a 200-strong team by 2020 in line with its planned growth.

Gallagher's Brierley Hill branch operates as a dedicated service centre to support UK SMEs and national affinity partnerships with risk management and insurance needs.

It is one of two specialist SME hubs within Gallagher's 50-strong UK-wide network of community broker branches and also specialises in looking after the customers of affinity partnerships, such as long-standing relationships with two major UK banks — whose small business customers nationwide use Gallagher for advice on finding and securing the right insurance solutions — and the Royal Yachting Association, through which Gallagher looks after the insurance needs of 90 per cent of the UK's sailing clubs.

The Brierley Hill branch has enjoyed consistent growth in customers, with revenue rising 115 per cent in the last five years. During this time, it has also seen the number of employees grow from 55 to more than 100, necessitating the need to move.

Gallagher puts its SME success down to its business model of taking the best of technology and blending it with a traditional account manager approach.

Instead of operating a 'call-centre' style system, whereby a client can often speak to a different handler each time they get in touch, Gallagher's clients are serviced by a dedicated account manager, who knows each client, its business and claims history well. It's this customer service, and the fact that Gallagher can tailor its risk management advice, guidance and insurance recommendations to each client's need – no matter the sector – that sets it apart and has seen the centre enjoy an excellent client retention rate and consistently strong new business, both driving organic growth in a very competitive market.

Barry Duffin, managing director of the Brierley Hill office, said: "We're delighted to be in our new office space, and although we've only moved next door, it's what this move facilitates that excites us the most – the ability to continue on our strategic growth trajectory and welcome new colleagues into the team, equipping them with the knowledge, tools and capabilities to maintain our advice-based culture of customer service excellence.

"Our unique offering for SMEs, national partners and local businesses is what has really helped us to succeed. Not only are we a dedicated national client service centre, we are also part of a UK-wide network of community-focused branches within one of the world's largest insurance brokers, putting us in a great position to leverage both resource and expertise to create competitive, customised solutions for our clients, no matter the sector or location of their business."