Two Northern Ireland insurance brokers unite to form one of the largest independent insurance policy providers in the UK and Ireland

Two Northern Ireland insurance brokers are coming together to form one of the largest independent insurance policy providers in the UK and Ireland, it has been announced.

Kerr Insurance will become part of the Dickson & Co Group, increasing the brokers workforce by 50% and making the Omagh-based family business a significant personal and commercial lines player in the UK and Ireland marketplaces.

The deal is the latest in a series of acquisitions and expansions undertaken by Dickson & Co as part of an ambitious £7m investment by the Dickson family that has doubled the size of its’ UK and Ireland operations.

The addition of Kerr Insurance to the group will be the business’s fourth acquisition in the last two years and the company’s 13th overall.

Together, the two community-based brokers will collectively employ more than 150 staff, serving customers across a combined network of 17 trading sites in Northern Ireland and two branches in the Republic of Ireland under the Dickson & Wilson Insurance brand.

The expanded group is now forecast to manage more than 50,000 insurance policies across 170 insurance companies with an annual premium value of more than £45m.

Ashley Dickson, managing director at Dickson & Co, said: "We are excited to welcome Kerr Insurance and its dedicated team to the Dickson & Co family. The reputation of the Kerr Group, a company with nearly a 100-year history of serving communities in Northern Ireland, precedes itself. 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.

“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.

“Across the board we are seeking new talent to support these exciting plans, in particular high-performing commercial insurance professionals. We offer significant employee benefits to all our staff and believe our business offers something very different to the typical national broker environment.”

The expansion of the business will be supported by the firm’s new recruitment drive aimed at nurturing talent to meet the businesses growing demand for skilled professionals as part of the company’s in-branch personal and commercial lines sales teams.

The multimillion-pound investment in the business has also included a development of a new training academy, a state-of-the-art facility used for inducting and training employees as Dickson & Co’s workforce continues to grow.

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