esure
Company Information
About
The esure Company
The
idea for esure was conceived in February 1999 by the founder and
Chairman, Peter Wood. Peter kick-started the direct selling of insurance
over the telephone in the UK back in 1985, when he launched Direct
Line and reformed the way that insurance is bought and sold. With
esure, his aim was to further reduce the price of cover for the
majority of good drivers and responsible homeowners - and to harness
the power of the internet in doing so.
Sheilas' Wheels is actually a brand of esure - one of the UK's leading
direct insurers
With backing to the tune of £150m from the Halifax - later
the HBOS Group - and approval from the FSA, esure began trading
in January 2001 under Chief Executive, Peter Graham. At the outset,
the company took over the management of Halifax Car Insurance from
the previous underwriters, Churchill.
The
distinctive esure motor insurance brand with its 'blue man' logo
was launched in July 2001 with a ground-breaking policy of insuring
only drivers with four years' no claim discount or more. The fact
that esure's no claim discount scale then continues to rise from
70% for five years' claim free driving up to 75% for a total of
ten years without a claim proved a huge draw for responsible motorists
who were previously offered no greater benefit for their good driving
record.
esure
quickly began to establish itself as one of the most competitive,
fastest growing car insurance companies in the industry with press
price comparison tables and case studies rating the company very
highly.
esure
home insurance - which offers its own enhanced no claim discount
up to 45% - was initially piloted in September 2001 and active marketing
began in March 2002. In June 2002, esure hit the headlines with
the announcement of a policy of not offering home insurance to ground
floor properties in areas which are not adequately protected against
repeated flooding. The aim of the policy was to prevent homeowners
in low risk areas paying - through their premiums - for floods that
could be prevented and esure has consistently called on the Government
to improve defence arrangements in such areas.
In
July 2002, esure began underwriting Sainsbury's Bank's Car Insurance
product which offers a number of unique benefits, such as the ROSPA-endorsed
policy of replacing child car seats when a car is involved in an
accident (even if the seat appears undamaged) and £1,000 to
be spent on counselling - or however the policyholder decides -
if involved in a road rage incident.
Finally, esure launched a telephone and online travel insurance
product in January 2003. Its benefits include some of the best medical,
personal liability and baggage limits in the market - along with
reduced prices for single parents who buy a family policy when compared
with other policies where a family automatically includes two adults.
esure's
marketing has developed considerably in just a few years. For the
first two years, television advertisements were based on an innovative
animated style including the blue man logo. These helped to establish
the company as a new, cutting edge insurer but were switched in
October 2002 towards a more 'real life' style featuring Michael
Winner in a number of deliberately spoof accidents which have spawned
the catchphrase: 'Calm down, Dear… its a commercial'. The ads
have attracted huge attention - with many people finding them the
marketing equivalent of an unscratchable itch. In the process, they
have achieved their main objective - to increase awareness of esure
and its benefits for good drivers and responsible homeowners.
esure
is part of the Halifax and Bank of Scotland group.
esure
reception, Reigate:
The Observatory
Reigate
Surrey
RH2 0SG
esure
reception, Manchester:
25 Quay Street
Manchester
M3 4AL
esure
reception, Glasgow:
The Equinox
19 Cadogan Street
Glasgow
G2 6QQ
esure
Sheilas Wheels Car Insurance
esure
Home Insurance
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