Local Broker Doubles Size of HQ to Accomodate 200 New Jobs

Northern Ireland’s largest independent insurance broker, Hughes Insurance, has announced plans to invest £2 million in expanding its headquarters in Newtownards. The expansion will double the size of the premises and will provide enough room for an estimated 200 new jobs in the North Down area.

The independent broker is currently recruiting 20 new employees to cater for the ongoing growth of its customer base.

Gareth Brady, Chief Executive at Hughes Insurance comments: “The expansion of our premises in Newtownards is absolutely essential – we are literally bursting at the seams and have had to relocate our fast growing commercial insurance department to nearby rental accommodation to relieve the pressure on space. Our employment projections indicate that we need to be in a position to cater for up to 200 new employees as soon as 2011 with 20 new staff already being recruited to cope with customer demand.”

To accommodate the recent growth, the Hughes Insurance commercial team has relocated to new 3000 sq ft business premises in Sketrick House, a new state of the art Business Centre in Newtownards.

The expansion plans will facilitate continued growth within the business which has resulted in the need for additional office space for staff. The new premises will accommodate plans to recruit 200 new staff over the next two years which is anticipated to bring the number of staff employed by the company throughout Northern Ireland to over 400.

With planning permission secured for the 20,000 sq ft extension, work on the site will begin on the 14th June 2010 and is due for completion in mid 2011. The building work is also supporting other local businesses with W.R. McAlister handling the architecture and project management and local contractor Heron Brothers Ltd. handling the construction.

The expansion is a result of the local broker’s growing share of the Northern Ireland insurance market which is due to the company’s ability to combine the best deals with the best cover. As the largest independent broker in Northern Ireland, Hughes Insurance is able to secure competitive deals from a range of insurance providers whilst offering a comprehensive range of benefits as standard.

The investment in the headquarters expansion follows a £1 million expansion in the company’s local branch network in 2008 which involved the opening of four new local branches bringing the number of branches in Northern Ireland to 12.

For more information and full terms and conditions you can go online at www.hughesinsurance.co.uk , call our Commercial Department on 02891 819275 or visit us at 4  Jubilee Road, Newtownards,BT23 4WN.