Towergate closes branch after resignations

Towergate has closed its Sherborne office after three staff resigned in the wake of its decision to move most of its SME business to a call centre.

Towergate bought Harry Fort Insurance Brokers two years ago when its owner Chris Fort retired.

At the time, Towergate promised it would keep on the broker’s staff for at least two years, Fort told the Western Gazette.  

However, Towergate decided to close the office when the staff resigned.

A spokeswoman said: “This left us in a position where we had three staff left in the office, one of whom was a temp and we could not find local, experienced staff to replace those that had left.”

Two of the remaining three staff have taken up position at Towergate’s Taunton office.

Towergate’s Manchester call centre opened in August. The broker is transferring to the new SME hub around £150m of gross written premiums from clients that spend less than £5,000 on insurance from its branches.

Towergate said the Sherbourne closure was one of three or four to have taken place in the last year as part of its usual integration plans. Another branch closed, for example, when it merged two branches into a new office in Redruth.