National insurance broker opens larger Sunderland base
A national insurance broker has opened a new Sunderland office as it continues to invest in the city.
Top 30 UK insurance broker J.M. Glendinning (Insurance Brokers) Ltd has moved its Sunderland team to a new, larger office at the North East BIC on the outskirts of the city centre.
Initially providing workspace for five employees, the office will complement its existing Gosforth team which boasts over 39 members of staff.
The larger office will also allow the firm to continue growing its Sunderland team after what has been a successful 12 months trading for the firm.
Kate Allison, client director, said: “We are thrilled to move into our new, larger office at the BIC.
“The company has invested significantly into increasing its presence in the city over the past 12 months and this is a direct result of that.
“It will allow us to provide an even greater service to our ever-growing client base in the city by continuing to have a local office where we can meet and work from, while also allowing us to create opportunities for local people looking to break into the sector. It is something we hope will provide a real boost to the area.”
J.M. Glendinning first established its presence in Sunderland last year with the acquisition of city-firm Insure Business Services Limited. The business provides comprehensive insurance solutions to UK businesses of all sizes, priding itself on its client-centric approach.
Set up by Kate, Insure Business Services operated out of an office at the BIC prior to the acquisition, so when the time came to move to a larger city base, BIC was a natural choice.
Kate added: “Having personally worked out of the BIC for a number of years, I didn’t think twice when it came to finding the perfect place for our new office in the city.
“It’s such an amazing space with a great business community. You receive so much support from the team, there’s lots of great networking opportunities and of course there’s the free parking, which is such a premium these days.
“We felt part of the community here at the BIC. We are looking forward to continuing to invest in the business and growing our team into our larger surroundings.”
J.M. Glendinning’s new Sunderland office makes it the latest in a string of North East professional service firms to invest in workspace at the BIC over recent years, joining the likes of Samuel Phillips Law, Gillespie Recruitment and First Cohort International.
Paul McEldon OBE, chief executive of the North East BIC, said: “It’s been great welcoming the wider J.M. Glendinning team into the BIC community over the last year, so we were delighted when we heard that they would like to open an even larger base here.
“One of the things we take great pride in at the BIC is our ability to flex to the needs of our customers, be it scaling up or downsizing, and J.M. Glendinning is a perfect example of how we can help companies grow at a pace which suits them, without all the upheaval that usually comes with upping sticks to a new address.
“We are delighted they will be staying with us and would like to wish them all the best for the future.”