Bennett Christmas buys Horsham-based Slade Edwards Insurance

Bennett Christmas has bought Horsham-based Slade Edwards Insurance Brokers for an undisclosed sum.

A statement explained that the existing members of Slade Edwards’s staff will join the Bennett Christmas team from September.

They include Slade Edwards’s directors, Julia Crow, who will become operations manager, Anthony Birch, who will oversee risk management, and Nigel Slaughter, who will become an associate director.

Bennett Christmas CEO Mark Bennett commented: “We’re delighted to welcome Slade Edwards, a well-respected company in the Sussex community, into the Bennett Christmas family.

“Their team shares our commitment and passion for personalised, local and face-to-face service.”

Ice cream
He continued: “They are also one of the leading players in the market for ice cream and catering van insurance which brings a unique offering to our product range.

“Their specialist risk management division also allows us to expand our service offering. This acquisition complements Bennett Christmas’s business plan of being a provider of niche products within its underwriting arm.”

Slade Edwards’s managing director, Anthony Birch added: “We are pleased to place our long established business in independent, local hands. Our aligned processes and procedures will ensure that our customers continue to receive the high levels of service they’re used to and benefit from the broader service offering that our combined businesses will provide.”

Bennett Christmas is member of Broker Network and bought Southwater Insurance Services.

CEO Roger Christmas also confirmed that the business was on the acquisition trail and looking to buy community-led brokers in the South East.

For all the latest industry news direct to your inbox, sign up for our daily newsletter.