Heath and Fortis in SME deal with Post Office

Fortis Insurance UK, in partnership with Heath Lambert, has secured a five-year deal with Post Office Financial Services (POFS) for the UK commercial SME market.

The firms said the partnership followed an "extensive market tender process, which included the leading three SME insurers, to create the largest SME affinity deal for commercial insurance in the UK."

POFS is launching in the SME sector to complement its existing financial services products. It already has a relationship with Fortis and recently extended its award-winning travel insurance contract for a further five years and is one of the leading insurers on the Post Office motor and home insurance panels.

POFS will launch with branded SME products, including Shop, Office, Homeworker, Property Owners, and Tradesman, which will initially be sold via the crown and agency network. An online proposition will also be developed to extend the distribution beyond the agency network.

Phil Ashkuri, director of insurance, POFS said: "The launch into the SME market complements the Post Office financial services proposition to our customers at a time when financial stability and peace of mind has never been more important. Central to our decision to work with Fortis and Heath Lambert was the effectiveness of their combined business model, experience of this sector and more importantly, the priority they place on maintaining a strong customer focus. We look forward to launching in this sector later this year."

Fortis and Heath Lambert Group have already worked in partnership for a number of years and have similar arrangements in place with other organisations.

Mark Cliff, managing director, Fortis Insurance said: "We are delighted to have the opportunity to work with Post Office Financial Services and Heath Lambert Group on this exciting new entry into the SME market, leveraging the Post Office brand and building on the strong partnership we already have in place. This deal further demonstrates the success of our strategy to expand the depth and breadth of our product distribution in the commercial market and is further evidence of the strength of our business model."

Heath Lambert chief executive Adrian Colosso said: "This is a fantastic endorsement of Heath Lambert's expertise and its ability to capitalise on opportunities in the affinity sector. I absolutely believe that the partners involved in this project have all the attributes needed to make this a real success. Our contribution to that success will combine our key strengths of client focus, innovation, sales and service with our immense knowledge of the SME market. We can't wait to get started."