Admiral Group plc (LSE: ADM) is a motor insurance company with its head office in Cardiff, Wales. Listed on the London Stock Exchange, it is a constituent of the FTSE 100 Index.
[edit] History
The Company was founded by Henry Engelhardt as an off-shoot of the Brockbank Group in 1991 under the name Admiral Insurance. Based on the principle of focused brands providing singular insurance streams at the lowest delivery cost direct to customers over the telephone, Engelhardt selected car insurance as his initial market: in the UK it is a compulsory purchase product - Do one thing well and it’s a blessing. Do more than one thing and it’s a step too far.[1]
Drawn to Cardiff through a £1million regional aid grant from the Welsh Development Agency,[1] Admiral started selling policies over the telephone in 1993 and over the Internet in 1995.[2]
[edit] Operations
[edit] Brands
As part of its market segmentation operation, Admiral Group use a number of specialist brands:
- Bell Insurance for male drivers,
- Diamond (for female drivers)
- Gladiator (for commercial vehicles)
- elephant.co.uk (for on-line insurance policies).
It also operates 'confused.com' which provides an online automated comparison of insurance prices from a panel of direct insurers. In July 2007 the company abandoned plans to sell that business to a group of private equity funds.[3]
[edit] Locations
From its headquarters in Cardiff, Admiral Group now operates from centres including:
It is due to launch in the United States in mid-2009.[1]
Engelhardt heads an internal team called the "Ministry of Fun," which aims to develop both a more efficient business model and a more fun place to work for the company's employees.[1]
[edit] References
[edit] External links
