Seven members of staff made redundant when insurance broker Jelf moved out of Grimsby have been taken on by Laceby-based rival Alan Boswell Group.
The Norfolk-based professional services provider said the expansion emphasises the group’s commitment to Grimsby and the local business community.
It bought out Sutcliffe Solloway & Co in 2017 as it increased its geographic footprint into Lincolnshire, with the firm also having an office in Boston.
Chris Gibbs, managing director of Alan Boswell Group, said: “We value building long-lasting relationships with our clients, and our office is in a great position for face-to-face meetings. We want to be the natural choice for friendly, expert advice on insurance and financial planning in Lincolnshire.”
Jelf closed the prominent Cleethorpe Road office before Christmas, with 20 jobs understood to have gone. Some transferred to Hull as it created a regional hub.
Mr Gibbs said the group is “delighted to welcome their new starters, who will take on a variety of roles focussed on commercial insurance”.
Launched in 1982, it has expanded into Suffolk, Cambridgeshire then Lincolnshire, and is now in the top 10 independent insurance brokers in the UK.
It employs more than 360 staff and places more than £100 million of premiums annually.
Last year it brought in revenues of £23.6 million, up 6.2 per cent, with profits of £2.4 million, and has recently announced it will relocate its head office in Norwich this summer.
Jelf’s strategic move was part of a restructure as it adopts the Marsh Commercial name, following a 2015 acquisition of the Bristol firm by the New York Stock Exchange-listed entity.
Founded in 1989, it had seen subsequent mergers with Bluefin, under which Grimsby traded for a time, Clark Thomson, and JLT.
