Editor's comment: Sales, sprinklers and statistics

- Lynn Rouse
- 01 Dec 2011
- Indicative reading time: 1 minute

Any reputable estate agent — excusing the potential oxymoron — will tell you the property market falls quiet in the run-up to Christmas, as potential vendors focus on the festivities ahead. Not so in the insurance market, with an unexpected end-of-year flurry to find suitors for the divestment of various business units.

Bluefin moved this week to vehemently deny its broking business is up for grabs, while confirming advisers have been appointed to explore future options for its sister advisory business, including a sale (see p8). And, following Post’s revelations on Brit Insurance’s steps to dispose of its £150m UK retail arm, speculation mounts that private equity firms and insurance groups will be circling Simply Business, eyeing Brit’s significant stake in the burgeoning business.

All this in the wake of continued concerns over the implications for Groupama’s UK business, amid reports that bosses in France are gearing up for asset stripping to appease the French regulator – with brokers frustrated about ramifications and its reluctance to comment as Post went to press.

Elsewhere in Post this week, we drill down to determine the best logistical way to lobby for that ever-elusive yet most cost-effective fire protection solution: mandatory sprinkler installation. It seems the cost-benefit case for protecting UK SMEs and PLC continues to fall on deaf ears – but arguments centred on environmental and ‘sustainability’ grounds may provide a small chink of light.

Don’t forget to enter our future technology competition, being run in conjunction with Agencyport. It’s not only your chance to win a great piece of original signed artwork, documenting how key advancements have shaken up the insurance industry – as well as an iPad 2 – but the opportunity to influence the innovations of tomorrow.

We’ve extended the deadline for entries to 31 December to give your creative juices the best possible chance. So far, inspired suggestions include the next generation of smartphone apps, ingenious predictions on future use of video and even inventive adoption of biometric security. Full entry and competition details can be found on the website.

On a final note, for those of you eager to review our latest a nnual loss adjuster rankings, there are available as a 12-page online exclusive supplement.

Lynn Rouse
Editor

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