GRP-owned County Group buys another broker

GRP has continued its acquisition spree with County Group buying up fellow north-west broker Meadons.   

Shropshire-based Meadons writes personal and commercial business, including a scheme called Owzat aimed at cricket clubs nationally. 

County Group chief executive Dave Clapp said Meadons was “an excellent business, based in our County ‘heartland’ - the North West. We have known both of the vendors for well over 10 years now and admired their business from afar for some time.

“They are a proper relationship-led business, demonstrated by their strong customer retention rate and new business focus,” he added. 

GRP group managing director Mike Bruce commented that: “County Group continue to go from strength to strength, building their portfolio of businesses as our North West hub. I extend a warm welcome to the Meadons team and look forward to the business thriving under new ownership.”

Chris Bate, director at Meadons said: “Picking the right home for the future development of our business was a key consideration for us and we have watched how the County Group has developed its model by acquiring great community local brokers. With the power of GRP behind them, they really do have a compelling proposition - one we found was too good to turn down.”

The latest buy follows on from GRP’s acquisition of three brokers last month for its south-east hub via two of its subsidiaries. Green Insurance Group, the south eastern GRP hub, bought Reid Briggs Insurance Brokers Ltd, based in Eastbourne, and Clifton Morley Associates Ltd, based in Welling, Kent. Specialist Lloyd’s broker Cavendish Munro, also GRP owned, has acquired Eastbourne-based Professional Insurance Agents Ltd (PIA).

GRP-owned Higos acquired The Insurance Group (TIG), based in Plymouth, also in May.

In February it bought equine broker equine broker Shearwater.