Dickson & Co Insurance Group announced that it will be acquiring Kerr Group Insurance. The deal will form one of the largest independent insurance policy providers in the UK and Ireland.

“We are excited to welcome Kerr Insurance and its dedicated team to the Dickson & Co family,” said Ashley Dickson, managing director at Dickson & Co.

“We are thrilled to join forces with Dickson & Co and become a part of this prestigious group,” said Roland Kerr, managing director of Kerr Group Insurance.

“Our two businesses share many similarities, both family-owned and run community-based independent brokers: both well-known across Northern Ireland and down South. We offer a combined 125 years of experience in the insurance industry, and I can’t wait to see what we can achieve together,” he said.

What did the acquisition entail?

With the acquisition of Kerr Insurance, the broker’s workforce will be increased by 50%. The two community-based brokers will be employing more than 150 staff members and will serve customers across a combined network of 17 trading sites in Northern Ireland as well as two branches in the Republic of Ireland. It will be put under the Dickson & Wilson Insurance brand.

“While both Dickson & Co and Kerr Insurance will retain their independence, preserving their distinct brand identities, we look forward to expanding our shared product portfolio across the Group in order to offer our customers even more choice at the most competitive rates,” said Dickson.

“This acquisition affirms Dickson & Co as a leading force in both the UK and Ireland insurance marketplaces and we have further expansion plans pipelined for 2024, including the opening of a new Client Liaison Suite and Corporate Centre of Excellence based in the Centre of Belfast,” she said.

The firm’s expansion will be supported by its new recruitment drive, which aims to nurture talent in order to meet the growing demand for skilled professionals that were part of the company’s personal and commercial lines sales teams.

The multimillion-pound investment also included the development of a new training academy which will be a facility used to induct and train employees as the firm’s workforce continues to grow.

The deal was the latest in the series of acquisitions and expansions that were made by Dickson & Co as part of the £7 million investment made by the Dickson family to double the size of its operations in the UK and Ireland.

This marked Dickson & Co’s fourth acquisition in the last two years as well as its 13th overall acquisition.

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